Battling With A Hot Guy
by Itachi's Queen
Summary: "He's not going to get away with what he did to you." I, Hyuuga Hinata, am going to declare a war against one of the hottest guys in school, Uchiha Sasuke.
1. Prologue

**This story is originally written by Yves_Liong entitled "Battling With A Hot Guy" from Wattpad. The characters there are koreans, and the main character is Lee Dong Hae of Super Junior. I really admire that story and so I decided to remake it anime style, specifically Naruto.**

 **Once again, this story is originally made by Yves_Liong, author from Wattpad. All credits goes to her and to the maker of Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto.**

 **Enjoy! :)**

 **-DenHime**

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 **Battling With A Hot Guy**

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 ** _00-Prologue_**

Even back in kindergarten Sasuke and I weren't exactly friends. If I remembered correctly, we never got along with each other. Being his seat mate, I was always a victim of his mischievous ways like getting bubblegum stuck on my hair and having my things broken. And whenever I tell my teacher about it, Sasuke would just put an innocent expression on his face then he'll be off the hook.

It wasn't any different in elementary. Unfortunately, it was like destiny was playing tricks on me so I always end up seated next to him in class. Everyday he would borrow my things and when he returns it, it would either be broken or unusable for the moment. He would also talk to me about nonsense while the teacher talked about our lesson, and so we would always end up getting punished. Of course, with his charms, his punishments are lesser and I end up with the heavier punishment.

But after all the trouble he gave me I never hated him. Dislike maybe but hate is such a strong word for me. That was until something happened between him and my bestfriend, Haruno Sakura. Okay, so maybe there wasn't anything wrong with them being a couple. In fact, I was happy for them. But then I had to hear some words from Sakura.

"He broke up with me." She said, her voice shaking as she looked like she was fighting back her tears. I never saw her that way before because she was a cheerful type of person who always find something good in disasters.

"How? What did he say?" I asked, already starting to feel angered by Uchiha Sasuke. It just occurred to me that whatever it was that was able to shake Sakura's optimism is really terrible.

"He told me it was over... That he was tired of playing..." She responded, really on the verge of breaking down. "I can't believe it, Hinata. I can't believe I didn't see how he was just playing with me. He seemed so sincere and I thought that he'd be the last person to fool me..."

When I heard what she said, I felt disgusted at that jerk. What kind of guy would actually say something like that?! Okay, so he was honest. But in the first place, how could he be so insensitive to toy with someone's feelings? And not just anyone's feelings but with my bestfriend's. Who does he think he is? He had to pay for his cruel ways and if no one would ask him to, I would.

Placing my right hand on Sakura's shoulder, I promised her. "Don't worry, Sakura-chan. I'll take care of him. He's not going to get away with what he did to you."

I, Hyuuga Hinata, am going to declare a war against one of the hottest guys in school, Uchiha Sasuke.


	2. 1st scheme

**Credits to Yves_Liong (author from Wattpad) and Masashi Kishimoto (maker of Naruto).**

 **Warning: OOC characters**

 **-DenHime**

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 **Battling With A Hot Guy**

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 _ **01**_

"Listen, my bestfriend really made me promise not to tell anyone about it since she didn't want Sasuke's reputation to be ruined. But since you really want to know then I'll tell you. But... Before I do that, you have to promise you won't tell anyone." I spoke to four girls hanging out in the girls' comfort room. When they saw me enter, they immediately asked me about Sasuke and Sakura's break up issue, knowing I am Sakura's bestfriend. And so I decided to work on my mission to destroy Uchiha Sasuke.

The girls nodded in agreement, each of them replying, "I promise" and, "Hurry up and tell us."

I pretended to look around as if to check if someone would hear me before I spoke. "Well... The real reason why Sasuke broke up with Sakura is not because of a new girl in his life." I said, pausing for a moment to give them a bit of suspense. "It's because of a new guy. Girls, Sasuke is gay."

"What?! And you expect us to believe that?!" One of the girls, Shizuka, exclaimed as her eyebrows raised.

I shook my head at her. "I know it's hard to believe because I couldn't believe it at first too. But then I noticed the signs and realized it was true."

"Oh, yeah? What signs?" Cherry, the blue-haired asked, folding her arms in her chest and leaning in closer to pay attention to what I will say.

Luckily, I had the whole thing planned out yesterday so I had no trouble answering. "There's a lot, actually. But the first and most sensible fact is that Sasuke and Naruto are always together." I pointed out knowing that they would definitely go for it. "They're practically inseparable."

Another girl, Sheena, nodded. "You know what? That really makes sense. Whenever I see Sasuke, Naruto is always with him. Not once did I see them separated."

"Yeah, and one time, I even saw them hugging each other." Another girl piped in.

As the others agreed, Shizuka, who wouldn't believe me earlier spoke again. "But they've been really close to each other even before Sasuke and Sakura met so I don't think that's a sign."

This girl is getting on my nerves. Why couldn't she just agree with me?! "Well, another sign is because he dumped Sakura who is very pretty and nice. I mean, there are a lot of guys who wants to date her. Why would a guy in his right mind dump a girl like Sakura?" I tried once again to convince them.

Once again, Sherry disagreed with a frown. "I don't find Sakura that attractive so I think it's normal for Sasuke to dump her."

"What did you say?! That's my bestfriend you are talking about!" I snapped at her.

Sherry shrugged. "I'm just being honest. There will always be someone prettier in a guy's point of view so there's nothing wrong in the picture." She said knowingly. "But you know what, that part where he and Naruto are always together seems very believable. So maybe... He is gay?"

"He really is gay, okay? If you still don't believe me, just try observing how intimate he is with Naruto." I responded. "Anyway, I have to go to class so I'll leave you girls now."

"Good bye then." They all exclaimed in unison.

Remembering how people tend to defy what was told to them, I decided to make them remember their promise earlier to keep what we talked about as a secret. "Don't forget, it's a secret between us." I said, placing a finger before my lips. Then I was out of there.

Based on my calculations, the gossip would spread all over the school by lunch break. After all, I knew that those girls I talked to were the last people to keep secrets. Everyone in school knew that. Good job, Hinata. Looks like you're going to win this battle easily.

I headed towards the classroom, where I know Sakura is waiting for me. When I got there, I saw her head buried under her arms. I sighed as I walked over to the seat next to her. I was really not used to her being so down like this. "Hey, Sakura-chan, I've got something to tell you." I spoke, shaking her by the shoulder so she'd get up.

She lifted her head slowly, "What?" She asked lifelessly.

"Remember the plan I told you about last night?" I asked her, trying to sound really cheerfully so that she might actually get infected by my cheerful bug, unfortunately she just nodded. "Well, I finally did it. I started telling people."

I didn't exactly expect her to jump in joy but at least I expected her to turn a bit happier. "So you were really serious." She remarked with a small smile.

"Of course I was. Why wouldn't I be?" I replied. "You're supposed to be happy about this since I'm doing it for you. I'm not used to this sudden switching of roles between us. You're supposed to be the one trying to cheer me up."

Her smile finally got bigger. "I'm sorry, Hina-chan. It's just that I'm still not used to not having Sasuke around anymore."

I forgot to mention. When Sakura and Sasuke are still together, him and Naruto used to hang out with us all the time. But of course, as usual, Sasuke and I never got along. He would mock and bother me whenever I studied while they were just enjoying each other's company.

"Well, I'm sorry to say but I'm glad those days are over." I admitted to my bestfriend.

This time Sakura let out a soft chuckle. "I should've known when he was treating you that way."

I nodded in agreement. "You really should have. I mean, if your boyfriend can't even treat your bestfriend right then how could he treat you right? You should definitely make sure your next boyfriend treats me well."

"Fine, I will." She remarked, suddenly standing up.

"Where are you going?" I asked, checking my watch. "The teacher's going to arrive in about three minutes."

She checked her own watch. "Yeah, you're right. But I need to go to the bathroom now. I'll be right back."

Sakura didn't return in time though. She came back five minutes late so our teacher scolded her. But the good thing is her mood had suddenly improved ever since she came back and since I was wondering why, I asked her. "Did something good happen?"

Her lips curved into a wide smile. "I heard the gossips. I didn't think it could be that funny. Everyone was talking about it." She stated. "I can't believe you used Sasuke and Naruto's relationship."

From what she said, I was surprised. I didn't think it was that fast for the rumor to spread. "Is everyone convinced?"

"I think so." She giggled.

I was going to say something more but I noticed our teacher glancing at our direction, giving us a warning glare. I changed my mind and turned my attention back to my textbook. Besides, my plan was working perfectly so there was nothing to worry about. Everything was going my way.

When lunch finally came, Sakura and I were sitting at our usual table enjoying our meal. As we did, I could hear Sasuke's name mentioned by people around me. It felt good seeing everyone was talking about the rumor I made up. When another bestfriend of ours, Ino, approached our table to ask about what everyone was talking about, I was pretty confident in answering her.

"Have you, guys, heard what everyone's talking about?" She asked, taking a seat across me.

"Yeah, it's about Sasuke being gay." I replied, trying not to sound too obvious that the rumor came from me.

Ino shook her head. "I don't think that's what they're talking about anymore." She countered. "It's something about you." Ino gestured to me and I looked at her puzzled.

Sakura's forehead suddenly furrowed. "What about Hinata?" She asked in concern.

"I'm not really sure if I heard it correctly but it was something about Hinata starting rumors about Sasuke because he refused to go out with her."

My eyes widen. "What?! Who the hell said that?!" I exclaimed angrily. "Are they out of their minds? Why would I get upset if a good-for-nothing jerk doesn't want to date me? I'd rather be single than go out with Uchiha Sasuke!"

Ino put her hands in front of her, getting anxious by my outburst. "Hey, hey. I'm just telling you what I heard."

"I wonder who's behind this." I said thoughtfully, observing every person in the cafeteria for a person I might suspect. Suddenly, I caught a sight of Sasuke by the entrance. As soon as I did, I figured out who was responsible.

Who else but Uchiha Sasuke himself?


	3. 2nd scheme part 1

**All credits to Yves_Liong (author from Wattpad) and Masashi Kishimoto (maker of Naruto).**

 **Warning: OOC characters**

 **-DenHime**

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 **Battling With A Hot Guy**

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 _ **02**_

It was no surprise to me that when I got to school the next day, about 80% of the people around me were eyeing me suspiciously or gossiping about me. Like before, Sasuke, being one of the hottest guys in school, had always been very influential. And so having been labeled as someone who planned to ruin his reputation, I was now hated by the majority.

And to add another thing, someone started another rumor about me saying I sabotaged my own best friend's love life just because I couldn't be together with Sasuke. Because of this rumor, I got a hate letter from Sasuke's fan club. Yep, he is that famous and influential. They wrote that I should stop meddling on other people's lives. How I should have valued my friendship with Sakura, and that Sasuke was just right when he dumped me. Ew. Like I'm going to like that despicable guy.

It was really annoying how a plan could backfire and hit you twice as hard. Who would have thought I'd fail with my plan when I thought that I made it perfectly? And now it backfired on me, I couldn't even find a way to get out of it. I couldn't just tell everyone it wasn't true because I knew for fact that no one would believe me.

"I have to figure out a way to get back at him." I told Sakura as I instantly showed her the letter upon entering the classroom.

Sakura-chan took some time to read the letter before responding. "How could they say such mean things to you? They don't even know you personally. I can't believe people can be so horrible." She commented with a frown.

"I know right. They see the bad things I did but not Sasuke's. What's so special about him anyway?" I sighed in exasperation, not really bothering if the people in our room can hear me or not. "He broke up with you and told you he's tired of playing, isn't that supposed to make him bad?"

"Hey, people might hear you." She warned as I took my seat.

"Who cares? My situation can't get any worse anyway." I remarked. "Sasuke is just too popular."

Suddenly, an idea popped into my head. Being a good strategist that I am, I have another thing cooked up. He enjoyed being popular after all, right? After all, he was using it to counter my attack so I will help him get even more famous. Taking out my phone from my pocket, I checked my phonebook while the teacher hasn't arrived. As expected, Sasuke's number is there. If you're wondering why I have his number, it was because Sakura insisted that I keep it if ever I can't reach her on her own number, I could just call Sasuke since they were always together.

Tearing a piece of paper from my notebook, I wrote down his number and placed it in my pocket. "I'm such a genius." I praised myself.

"Why? Have you figured something out?" Sakura-chan asked as she turned to me with a curious expression.

I nodded as I gave her a playful smirk. "Sasuke is going to be ten times more popular soon." I noticed how she seemed a bit happier today compared to yesterday. "Hey, why are you suddenly looking better? Did I miss something?"

Now it was her turn to smile. "Why wouldn't I cheer up when I see my bestfriend putting an effort to avenge me and getting herself damaged just to see me happy? I really appreciate how you're trying to defend me from Sasuke, Hina-chan."

Just then, our teacher came in so our conversation was cut short. I took out my book and tried to listen intently to what the teacher was discussing. If you haven't noticed, I was a good student. In fact, I have never gotten a failing mark in my whole school life. But somehow I couldn't focus very well today as the teacher discussed about projectile motion. Instead, my mind continued formulating my new plan.

After class I needed to go to the computer lab to print a note, no, a notice saying that Sasuke is looking for new friends and below it would be his cellphone number. Then when I finish creating the master copy, I'll go to the copying machine and make about fifty copies and then post them in every corner of the school. Every girl, even gay people, would definitely call his number and try to talk to him. He would probably be disturbed for days, maybe even weeks.

I must have been smiling creepily because the teacher suddenly called my name. "Ms. Hyuuga! What is so funny that you can't stop yourself from smiling like that?!"

She demanded with an angry expression. I wasn't even able to defend myself. Maybe she's having a rough day because she is usually nice and calm. She didn't let speak as she scold at me. "You are not paying attention to my class as you're holding your phone below your desk." My eyes widen. I forgot that I'm still holding my phone. Crap. "I'm giving you one hour's detention."

Great. My first time ever to get detained. After class, I got myself into detention together with two other classmates who just happened to be picking up a piece of trash under their tables but the paper ended up being a note to each other so they also got the punishment. Because I got stuck in detention, I couldn't work out my plan.

As I sat on my seat, waiting for the hour to be over, I turned towards my other two classmates sitting beside me to check what they were doing to keep themselves from boredom. They were playing games from their phones from behind occupied seats. Suddenly, another idea crossed my mind again.

"Hey, Sai." I called to the one classmates I know.

"Hey." He answered without even sparing me a glance for he is so engrossed with his phone with a paint brushes for a keychain.

"So, uh, do you have a girlfriend right now?"

The raven-haired finally looked up to me with a cute but confused expression. "Why would you, Hyuuga Hinata, want to know?"

I gave him an innocent smile. But somehow it turned out to be a scary one for he backed away from me. I settled with a friendly tone. "Well... You see, I have this older sister who is really pretty and nice. I want her to cheer up because she seemed lonely these days. I thought you might be able to cheer her up and she might like you."

Suddenly, the guy sitting beside Sai joined in our conversation. "You don't have an older sister, Hyuuga."

Okay... How did he know that? I didn't even know him. As far as I'm concerned this is the first time I had an interaction with this guy. "I meant sempai but she's like an older sister to me." I responded with a nervous chuckle. I took out the piece of paper with Sasuke's number in my pocket and handed it to Sai. "This is her number. Maybe you can call her or text her. If you also know someone who might be interested, you can give him this number too."

"You seemed to be eager to get her a boyfriend." The guy beside Sai spoke again.

"She just got out of a bad relationship and she needs someone to talk to other than me. I think this will help her get over it." I said trying to make my voice sound convincing.

As I was talking, Sai's eyes gazed towards the door. It seems like someone came in so I also turned to see who it was.

"Sasuke!" Sai called the exact moment I saw the jerk. They knew each other?!

When Sasuke saw me looking at him, his lips turned to a huge grin. Why he was smiling at me was beyond me. Maybe he just wanted to rub it in that he won in our little gossip war. So I decided to just ignore him.

"Hey, what's up?" Sasuke took a seat in front of Sai.

"Didn't you just break up with your girlfriend?" Sai asked Sasuke.

The jerk nodded, he smirked and I couldn't help but feel angered at how he was acting. He's not even trying to look hurt at the mention of his break up.

"Well, Hinata was just telling me about this friend of hers who is looking for a guy. Here's her number." My eyes widened as Sai quickly handed Sasuke the piece of paper I gave him earlier.

Uh-oh. I'm so busted.


	4. 2nd scheme part 2

**The reviews fired me up! Thank you so much! This is for you, Kitty Uzumaki, Hyuuga Hitomichan, Binx(guest), and one more guest. **

**Athough the story belongs to Yves_Liong, the idea to make this a SasuHina version is mine. And I made so many revisions and paraphrasing. But still...**

 **All credits to Yves_Liong (author of Battling With A Hot Guy) and Masashi Kishimoto (maker of Naruto).**

 **Warning: OOC characters**

 **-DenHime**

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 **Battling With A Hot Guy**

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 _ **03**_

I didn't know just how fast my reflexes are until I managed to snatch the piece of paper away before Sasuke could reach it. After I did, I let out a silent sigh of relief.

"What's wrong?" Sai asked, confusion swimming in his eyes. He looked so naïve about the bad blood between Sasuke and I.

I gave Sasuke a glare. "My sempai doesn't like Sasuke." I reasoned but it was like poison was coming out of my mouth as I stated that.

Sai's forehead furrowed. "Why not? Sasuke and I are very similar. We're both gentleman and handsome. Aren't we, Sasuke? Why wouldn't she like a guy like Sasuke?"

I shook my head. "My friend doesn't like players." I replied, looking towards Uchiha Sasuke accusingly. "And if she does like Sasuke, I wouldn't even allow her to have any relation with him."

Sasuke raises an eyebrow at what I said. His eyes are like measuring me up and down. He even looked like he's offended. But he decided to ignore it as he faced Sai. "I almost forgot, what happened to your game the other day?"

Sai being a naive one, didn't mind the instant change of topic. In fact, he seemed interested in the new topic Sasuke opened. "I was really nervous before the game started. My supposed-to-be partner in mixed doubles stood me up. Luckily, I saw a girl with a badminton racket entering the court. I didn't even have the chance to ask her name but she was awesome, my lifesaver." He narrated enthusiastically.

"Let me guess, you won, didn't you?" Sasuke asked with a smirk.

"Of course, I am great, aren't I?" Sai boasted but it sounded like a joke. "But the girl really helped me a lot. I wonder if I can see her again."

As Sai finished speaking, the bell rang signaling that our detention was over. I stood up and headed out quickly. I couldn't bear to stay a minute more with the jerk Sasuke. His voice and actions irked me. In a hurry to get out of there, I hadn't realized someone was following me until I was nearing my locker. It was the guy who knew I have no older sister, and he was smirking teasingly.

"Why are you..." I was just starting to speak but I cut myself off when I saw a familiar piece of paper on his hand as he held it up for me to see. It must have fallen when I was hurrying out. I extended my hand towards him. "Can I have it back please? Or maybe you're interested in texting my friend?"

"Whose number is this really?" He asked, looking at the number in his hand.

I placed an innocent expression and smiled. "I told you, didn't I? It's my friend's number." I said trying to convince him. "And I assure you, you'll have a very interesting conversation even on the very first call you make."

"And why would we have an interesting conversation?" He asked again.

"Because she's different from other girls." I answered him. His eyes seemed to want to make me elaborate. "She's very different because... She's tomboyish."

His eyebrows suddenly arched. "Why would I be interested in a tomboy? And if she were a tomboy, why would she look for a boyfriend? Are you lying again?" He said, not really mad but neither amused. "Be honest to me, Hyuuga. Whose number is it?"

Seeing how our conversation could last for a long time, I decided to give in. "Okay, so maybe it's not my friend's number. But I can't tell you whose number it is." I admitted. "Can I just have the paper back?"

"Let's make a deal. How about you tell me the owner of this number and I'll tell you how I knew you have no older sister?" He suggested with a sly smile. "You are still curious about it right?"

He was right, I am curious about it. But the question is, could I trust him? What if he's on Sasuke's side, like almost everyone in this school? I stared at him and sighed. "Tell me first before I reveal whose number this is."

"I sat in front of you during our freshmen year. And when we were passing out those information sheets the teacher asked us to fill out, I was able to catch a glimpse of yours. The part where the siblings, you wrote a younger sibling." He explained. "So tell me about the number."

I could run now and I wouldn't have to tell him. But then he would ask around since he had the piece of paper. So I decided to just tell him the truth. "It's Uchiha Sasuke's." I whispered so that no one could hear.

"So it's true then." He responded with an accusing tone.

"What do you mean?"

"It's true that you're trying to ruin Sasuke's life. Everyone's been talking about it. I didn't see any proof to believe it, at least not until now. I can't believe it's true. Just because he doesn't like you, you're sinking this low?" He shook his head and started walking away.

I knew it. How could I have thought that he was trustworthy? Just great. And here I though my life could get any worse. But just because my brain starts formulating more negative expectations from him, he turned around with a serious expression on his face. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone even if I don't like what you're doing. I don't break promises."

That was a relief, really. Even though he was trying to tap my conscience into stopping this. But no matter what, I am not going to quit. He was just every other person who thought so highly of Sasuke just because he's very influential and popular. Was there no one else besides me and Sakura who could see behind deceiving mask?

When I got home from school, I immediately called Sakura and told her all about the weird guy I encountered. Not that I cared about him or anything. I don't even know his name. I just want to let her know that even guys are on Sasuke's side. "I really couldn't believe it. I thought only girls listen to gossips?" I ranted.

"Usually, gossips do only linger among girls. But sometimes when it's really something big, even guys get involved. But what are you going to do now, Hina-chan?"

That was the big question. Should I go on with my plan of posting up notices with Sasuke's number on them? After all, the redheaded guy promised to keep his mouth shut about it, so it would be okay, right? "Remember how Sasuke used to hate it when some girl calls or texts him when he's doing something like when he was busy spending time with you?" I asked my bestfriend, a smile forming on my lips as I thought about it.

"Yeah, he even got so mad before that he threw his phone in the garbage can." Sakura giggled as she recall. "Why?"

"Well, I think he's going to be furious this time because I'm going to post up his number on every corner of our school." I told her proudly. "Girls would definitely want to call him."

Sakura-chan was silent for a moment. "You do realize he's going to be very pissed with that, right?" She finally spoke.

"Of course, but he deserves to be pissed after what he's done to you. And I'm not going to stop trying to make him feel that way until he feels sorry for what he did." I answered in reply. "Don't worry, Sakura-chan. I'll really make him pay."

The next day, I arrived at school an hour earlier than usual. As I though, there wasn't any students in the halls during this time. Having gone to a computer shop yesterday after talking to Sakura-chan, I was able to print and make copies of the notice I made. The only thing left to do now is to post them up so I got to work. I didn't encounter any problems so I finished quickly.

Accomplishing my tasks, I headed for the girls' comfort room to wash my hands. There were two girls there, and they seemed to have seen the notice because they are already talking about it.

"Do you think that's real?" The tall white-skinned and long-haired girl asked the girl who was wearing glasses and had her hair in a ponytail.

The other girl shrugged. "I don't know but it's worth a try, isn't it?" She responded." Why don't we try calling the number now?"

"Yeah, who knows, maybe it really is Sasuke." She took her cellphone out. "I already saved it so I'm just going to press call."

Just as the girl pressed her phone to her left ear, mine began ringing causing the two girls to look towards me.

Could it be...?


	5. Most Hated Girl

**All credits to Yves_Liong (author from Wattpad) and Masashi Kishimoto (maker of Naruto).**

 **-DenHime**

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 **Battling With A Hot Guy**

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 _ **04**_

"Hello?" I finally answered my phone and let out a sigh of relief when I heard Sakura's voice on the other end of the line. The two girls turned away from me as I exclaimed, "Sakura-chan!"

" _Hina-chan! I'm sorry for calling so early but I need to ask you to do me a favor. I left my homework at home and now I have to do it all over again."_ Sakura spoke in panic. _"Can you help me? I really, really need your help!"_

As I listened to Sakura's plea, I couldn't help overhearing what the two girls are saying. The one with the cellphone had already hanged up. "The line's busy. Do you think a lot of people are calling him so we can't get through?" She pondered.

The other girl nodded. "It's possible. After all, Sasuke's really popular. Let's just try again later." She remarked as they started heading out.

"Where are you? Are you at our first class already?" I asked Sakura when my attention got back to her.

" _Yes, I am. Please hurry."_ She replied, sounding desperate. She wasn't the type who easily forget these kind of things so I knew how she felt.

"Don't worry, I'll be right there as fast I can." I reassured her as I walk out of the comfort room and headed for the classroom.

I hung up after I heard Sakura said, _"Thanks."_

On the way, I noticed people crowding over the places where I posted the notices. My first and second plans might not have worked but the third is perfectly functioning.

When I reached Sakura, boy, was she beyond panicking. "I only have fifteen minutes left to finish something I did for two hours!" She exclaimed, scribbling furiously on her paper.

I took a seat beside her and grabbed a piece of paper from the stack of papers on her desk. "What do you want me to do?" I asked in a very good mood now. Somehow, knowing that I was succeeding really perk me up. "Do you want me to just copy my work for you?"

Sakura stopped for a moment and smiled gratefully. "You'd do that?" She asked, almost surprised. She, of all people, knew I hated it when people copy from my work but today it was different. I am in such a good mood, I don't mind. I nodded in reply so she thanked me repeatedly. By the time the bell rang for first period, Sakura's homework is done.

As I listened intently to the teacher's discussion, I felt my cellphone vibrate a couple of times. Not wanting to get in trouble, I ignored it. I didn't even try to think about who it was that kept calling me. I just concentrated on the lesson at hand. That was until I finally got annoyed because the vibration just wouldn't stop. Once I had enough, I shut my cellphone off.

I had days when I couldn't focus even if I tried to but today it was the other way around. I was focused with the lessons that I forgot all about my cellphone. As Sakura and I entered the cafeteria for lunch, Ino came up to us in a rush.

"What's up?" Sakura asked her in concern.

Ino turned to me. "I've been calling you. Why weren't you picking up?" She asked suddenly.

I raised my eyebrow at her. "What are you talking about? My cellphone hasn't rang since first period." I replied but then I remembered that I turned it off so I took out of my pocket and showed her. "Oh, I forgot. It's off because earlier it wouldn't stop vibrating. Was that you calling me nonstop?"

She shook her head. "I only called you twice. Once, it was ringing. The second time, I couldn't reach you anymore." She responded with a frown.

I turned on my cellphone and to my surprise, there were twenty missed calls. Checking the numbers that called me, my eyes widened. Except for Ino, all the other numbers were unfamiliar to me. "This is strange. I got 19 calls from 19 different numbers." I told them as I deleted each one. But that wasn't all. After deleting them, another window pop up, saying I had 40 messages received. "I think my cellphone is broken."

"Wait, that's the reason why I've been calling you earlier." Ino exclaimed in a serious tone. "There's something I need to show you."

Sakura and I looked at each other, wondering what Ino meant. "What is it?" We asked her at the same time.

"Come one, just follow me." She said, starting to walk out of the cafeteria.

We followed her as she led us to one of the places where I posted Sasuke's number. Once we got there, I saw the notice still intact so I smiled. "What's wrong with this?" I asked Ino as I continued looking at it.

"Nothing's wrong with that. I'm talking about this." Ino remarked, pointing towards another notice a few meters left from the one I posted. Sakura already saw it before me. Her jaw dropped in surprise as she seemed to be speechless.

I walked closer to read what could cause Sakura's to be that way. But knowing how exaggerated she could be at times, I didn't think it was something big. But it really was big.

Written on the notice was, "Are you tired of hearing terrible rumors about Uchiha Sasuke? Do you want it to stop? If you do, then here's your chance. This is Hyuuga Hinata's cellphone number. Bother her all you want 'til she stops!"

As I read it, I could feel my blood boiling. It was Uchiha Sasuke's doing, I knew it. Who else would do something like this? But just to confirm whether this notice was really responsible for my flooded cellphone, I took it out of my pocket again and started to read the messages.

 ** _"If you think you can ruin Sasuke-kun, think again!"_**

 ** _"Please stop hurting Sasuke. I'm really sorry he doesn't like you but it doesn't give you the right to put a stain on his name."_**

 ** _"I don't see what you're getting from all this rumors. Do you actually believe that by the doing this, he'd resort to liking you?!"_**

 ** _"Hey! Answer the phone, bitch!"_**

After reading the last one, I decided not to read the others. Those four were enough to prove that the notice brought swarms of messages and calls into my cellphone.

"Are you okay?" Sakura asked me as we started walking back to the cafeteria. She must have thought something was wrong because since the time I read those messages, I hadn't spoken a word to her and Ino. I was busily thinking of how I should handle the situation.

I nodded in reply. "I'm fine."

Sakura cleared her throat before she spoke again. Whenever she did that, it meant she was going on serious mode. "Listen, Hinata, I don't think you should go on with this." She said, looking at me with sincere eyes. "I mean, I appreciate what you're doing for me and all. But it's just an impossible task."

I raised my eyebrow at her. "What?! So you think it's impossible for me to beat Uchiha Sasuke too?" I asked, suddenly feeling irritated. How could my bestfriend also believe that Uchiha Sasuke was great?

"You know that's not what I meant." She replied. "I just don't want you to get hurt because of me."

I was touched by what she said, really, but there was no way I could stop just because I was afraid of getting hurt. "Don't worry, okay? It's not me who's going to get hurt. It's him." I told her with a grin.

"You're really crazy, you know that?" Sakura chuckled.

"At least I'm not as crazy as you who got your heart broken by Uchiha Sasuke." I shot back at her.

Suddenly, her mood shifted to depression again. "You're right. I'm crazy too." She said. But then she smiled. "Let's hurry before our lunch period ends."

While we eat lunch, my cellphone was vibrating nonstop on our table. And so, being thrilled was an understatement for me when my battery finally died. But that wasn't the only thing that made me cheer up again. I found out from a reliable source that Sasuke had been getting nonstop calls and messages too. So in a way, my plan still worked.

"Sasuke's been complaining about not being able to play his game on his cellphone because it keeps on vibrating." My reliable source told me as we neared my locker.

"Really? He must be really annoyed." I smirked.

She nodded. "He is but he doesn't show it much though."

Reaching my locker, I thanked her for the information and said good bye as she left. I placed all my books inside my locker and got ready to shut it close until I noticed a piece of folded paper by the corner. Taking it out, I read it.

 _ **"Since you declared war, I accept it. -Uchiha Sasuke"**_


	6. Brewing plan

**Thank you to the guests who reads this! Your reviews are encouraging!**

 **All credits to Yves_Liong (author from Wattpad) and Masashi Kishimoto (maker of Naruto).**

 **Warning: OOC characters**

 **-DenHime**

* * *

 **Battling With A Hot Guy**

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 **.**

 **.**

 _ **05**_

If Uchiha Sasuke thought I was going to be afraid after reading his note, he was so wrong. So maybe everything was going to be a lot more challenging now, since Sasuke was probably going to attack me and not just simply counter every scheme I come up with. But I didn't work hard studying just to be outsmarted by someone like him.

The only thing is, I am running out of plans. Rumors definitely wouldn't work anymore, no matter how true they were they could seem. People just love him too much to believe in any of them. And as for spreading of his number, it was going prett. well but I bet that after a week of unanswered calls and unreplied texts, girls were bound to give up. I need to come up with something new, something that is guaranteed to work.

I was thinking all about my plans the next day as I headed for my locker. But twhen I reached it, my heart started beating fast in nervousness. My locker's padlock had been broken and the door was open halfway. I opened it wider, only to find all my things in a mess like someone had rumaged carelessly through them.

For a moment, I just stood looking at the terrible scene. But when I finally got back to my senses, I started fixing my things and checking whether there was something missing among them. Luckily, almost everything was there. Books, extra pencils, pens, papers and my jacket...

"Excuse me, you're Hyuuga Hinata, right?" I heard a girl said and then I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned to her after rearranging my things.

"Yes, what do you want?" I asked, failing to hide the irritation in my tone. I hated it when someone touches my things and now is not any different.

When the girl looked a bit younger than me, and has a she scared the expressionon her face upon hearing my tone. "I found this on my desk earlier so I asked around on where I could find you." She answered, holding out a familiar notebook.

As soon as I saw the notebook, my eyes widened. It was my notebook where I wrote all important notes. I always brought it with me but I accidentally left it inside my locker yesterday. Oh my gosh! Thank you so much for returning this!" I exclaimed gratefully as I received it from her.

The girl's expression turned from scared to bewildered. She must have been confused at my sudden change of mood. But nevertheless she accepted my appreciation. "No problem." She smiled and bowed her head then she turned to walk away.

When the girl was gone, I ckecked the notebook for torn pages or any damages that might have been done to it. Fortunately, there was none. It looked like the person who did this just wanted to scare me and didn't need much thinking for me to know who was behind this. I guessed he was serious when he said he was accepting my war. It doesn't matter though because I came well-prepared for his attacks. I'm not afraid at all.

Untying the ribbon that holds my hair in a ponytail, I couldn't help but let out a sigh. I knew there is something useful about using a ribbon instead of a headband for my hair. I tied the ribbon around my locker's lock so it would close temporarily. "That should do for now I guess."

I started heading for my first class. I do not want to be late and get myself in trouble again. When I got to class though, everyone's busy running around the room, passing papers to each other. I walked over to my seat and turned to Sakura-chan who seemed confused as I am. "What's goin on?" I asked her not actually expecting an answer from the looks of her face.

She shruged. "I have no idea either. I just got here and when I did, everyone's been acting that way already." She replied looking over towards the person on her other side. "What are those papers for?" She asked the girl.

The girl looked up from the stacks of papers and smiled. "Oh, they're notes for History and Physics." She answered in a friendly tone.

"Can I see?" Sakura-chan asked politely. The girl nodded and handed her some papers. Sakura, in turn, shifted towards me so that we could both see what it really is. "Wait a minute... Isn't this..?"

"My handwriting!" I finished for Sakura-chan. "Where'd you get this?" I asked the girl, suddenly feeling furious. As I had said before, I have always been sensitive about people copying my works and everybody knows that.

The girl seemed surprised by my sudden rage. But she still answered me nicely. "Someone from class the down the hall gave them a while ago. He gave us a lot of copies."

"The class down the hall? Isn't that Sasuke's class?" I asked Sakura, standing up from my seat, trying to ready myself.

She nodded. "Yes, it is but where are you going? The class is going to start very soon, you might get sent to detention again." She reminded me.

Just as she did, I caught sight of our teacher nearing the door to our classroom. I decided that I'd rather not risk getting into trouble so I took my seat and convinced myself I could confront him later.

During class, it seemed like everyone's got hold of my notes because every single answer given in our recitation seemed to be my answer. Sasuke doesn't deserve just a confrontation for this. He deserves way much worse. The problem is, I couldn't think what. What can I do that can make him feel the way I do right now?

"This is so frustrating." I complained to Sakura as we sat down for lunch.

"What is?"

I let out a large sigh. "What else? My not functioning brain. I just can't think of a way to get back at him. "I replied as I hit my forehead with my palm a couple of times. "My mind is supposed to be good in thinking up a revenge. But why can't it give me anything right now?"

Ino suddenly arrived at out table. "Maybe because it's a sign that you should stop?" She said taking a seat across me. "I just rceived a copy of your famous notes. Aren't you upset about it?"

"Why do you think I want to come up with something so much? If I let him get away with this, I'm never going to forgive myself." I responded. "I even have to buy a new padlock now. And I needed to take all my things home too because someone might steal something again."

Ino shrugged. "If I were you, I'll just give up. Who knows what he can do next?"

I shook my head. "I'm never going to give up. Not now. Not until I win this."

For the rest of the day, I have to endure the torture of hearing my answers in discussions, not coming from my own lips but from someone else. And so I was overjoyed when the bell for dismissal rang.

"Are you sure you don't need any help carrying your things?" Sakura-chan offered again.

I shook my head. "No need. I can carry them myself." I told her with a smile. I don't want to be a bother to her or to any one.

We said our good byes and went our separate ways. As I walked back towards my locker, I caught sight of Sai waving at me not far ahead. I wondered why he's acting that way because we weren't really friendly each other except the one in detention. Once he's standing in front of he, he stopped.

"Hi, Hinata." He greeted with a friendly smile. Which looks like he's forcing it or something. "Do you remember me?"

I nodded. "Yes, why?"

His smile just got even wider. "Then do you remember when I talked about the girl during one of my games?" He asked hopefully.

I nodded getting confused by the second. "Yes, why do you ask?"

"She's the girl you're eating lunch with today." He said with a boyish grin. "Can ypu introduce me?" He asked, blushing.

"You mean Sakura-chan?" I asked, more confused since I know Sakura doesn't play badminton.

Sai frowned. "No, not Sasuke's ex. I don't like to get Sasuke mad at me."

"Oh, you mean Ino!" I exclaimed, suddenly remembering her sudden appearance in our table at lunch. "Why do you want me to introduce you? Why don't you just introduce yourself?"

He blushed a little. "Well... I don't think it's proper for a guy to walk up and suddenly introduce himself to a girl." He explained. "Please?"

I couldn't help but feel amused by his actions. Suddenly, an idea popped into my head. Sakura-chan mentioned Sai is the Captain of the Basketbal team varsities when I told her about our detention. And Sasuke is one of the players in the team.

"I'll do it on one condition." I told him then started whispering my idea to him.

At first, he wouldn't agree but I expected that. "I don't know... People would get mad at me for sure."

"You're the captain, everyone trusts your judgment. Besides it's the only way you can make me introduce you to Ino."

He sighed and finally agreed. "Fine. I'll do it."


	7. 3rd scheme

**All credits to Yves_Liong (author from Wattpad) and Masashi Kishimoto (maker of Naruto).**

 **Warning: OOC characters**

 **-DenHime**

* * *

 **Battling With A Hot Guy**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 _ **06**_

There were three major gossips revolving around the school. The first one is the reason why Sasuke wouldn't pick up his phone. Almost every girl was speculating whatever the reason for Sasuke's continuous ignorance to calls and messages. The next is about me. It seems like more and more people are beginning to think of me as an evil villain who vowed to destroy Uchiha Sasuke's happily ever after. And the last but definitely not the least discussed among the people in the hallways is about the first game of the varsity for this season. They are really anticipating Sasuke's performance. After all, he was given the MVP title for two consecutive years. However, they are completely unaware of what is to happen later at the game.

"Okay, something's up. Spill." Sakura-chan said as soon as she saw walk inside the room. She must have noticed the huge smile I couldn't wipe off my face ever since I talked to Sai yesterday.

I decided it wouldn't be fair if I tell Sakura about my plan when I practically forced Sai not to tell anyone yesterday. "What do you mean? I asked innocently. "I just woke up in the right side of the bed today, that's all."

Of course Sakura-chan knew better to see right through me. She looked at me suspiciously. "You thought of a new plan again, didn't you?"

"Maybe." I answered with a teasing smile as I took my seat.

Sakura slapped my arm lightly. "Hey, I'm a hundred percent sure that you've come up with another scheme. Come on, tell me!" She insisted.

I shook my head with a smile. "I'm sorry, Sakura-chan. But this time I can't tell you."

She frowned at me. "I thought I'm your bestfriend."

I couldn't help but be shaken by what she said. She **_is_** my bestfriend and I almost never kep secrets from her. But even though she is more important than Sai, I just can't bring myself to betray him. "I'm really sorry, I really can't tell you." She pouted so I gave her a small hint. "The only hint I can give you is that it will happen during the game."

"That's it?" She complained. "I need more details. C'mon, Hina-chan."

It's a good thing our teacher finally came in so I didn't have to continue refusing Sakura-chan's request. And since the lesson is pretty heavy, she forgot all about it after class. In fact, she didn't remember about it until it was time for the game. The school cancelled all the classes in the afternoon because it wanted its students to support our unbeatable team.

"Hey! You still haven't told me about your plan." She reminded me as we took our seats at on of the bleachers.

I flashed her a mischievous grin. "Don't worry, you'll notice it soon." I assured her.

As soon as the players stepped foot into the court, the crowds of people cheered enthusiastically. Unsurprisingly, Uchiha Sasuke's fans cheered the loudest.

When Sai and a tall player from the other team prepared for the first jump ball, the crowd settled down. It was Sai who got the ball and passed it to another teammate who seem very familiar. His jersey name is Sabaku but I don't know his name.

"Why isn't Sasuke playing? Is Sai crazy?" Sakura-chan exclaimed, distracting my thoughts. "At this rate, I don't think they can win this game at all."

I checked the scoreboard. Our school's team is still leading by one point. "I think they can win this without Uchiha." I replied, focusing back to the Sabaku guy. He had just shot a ball successfully and suddenly, he is looking directly at me with a disappointed expression. That's right. He's the weird guy from detention. The one who got a red tattoo in the side of his forehead. It looks like Sai didn't keep the secret to himself after all.

As the game progressed, our school became behind by five points. By this time, everyone on our side noticed the problem, even Sasuke's fanclub. And so the shouts started.

"Bring out Sasuke-kun!" The fans all shouted repeatedly. Even Sakura-chan joined in.

I expected Sai to bail at this point and just decided that the game is more important than meeting a girl but he didn't. He continued concentrating on the game, giving his best to win it without their star player, Sasuke.

I turned my attention towards the bench where Sasuke and the other players sits. Sasuke doesn't look like he is enjoying staying there, especially since his teammates kept on pushing him to enter the court. Since Sakura-chan and I are seated near the bench, we, or at least I, could hear some of them talking.

"Sai's not in his right mind now. You have to tale action, Sasuke." One of his teammates said. "Just go out there. He can't send you back when you're already out there."

"What is wrong with him?"

"Can't you see what's happening? Sai is trying to make us lose!"

"Hn." Was the only reply they received from him. He just continued to watch the game intently, like he couldn't hear his teammates' remarks.

For the three quarters of the game, our team was behind, causing more and more people to shout for Sasuke. They kept complaining about his absence. However, because they were too busy complaining, they didn't notice that Sai and his team are working extra hard. Soon they managed to catch up. Fortunately, when they got ahead by eight points with forty seconds left, people finally settled down and cheers for Sasuke slowly died down.

"I told you they can win without Uchiha." I told Sakura-chan as we waited for the seconds to finally end. "He's just overrated."

Sakura turned to me when I spoke. She finall realized what my plan was. "Ypu were responsible for this. Weren't you?" She asked with wide eyes.

"For what? For not letting Sasuke out in the game?" I asked, trying to play around before I admitted my masterpiece plan.

She raised her brow at me. "What else?" She replied.

I let out a laugh. "Okay, okay. Fine. So I did it. I was the one who told Sai not to let Sasuke play." I finally admitted. "And it worked, didn't it? Now people won't be thinking too highly about Sasuke being the only one who wins for the team."

But Sakura-chan didn't see it in the same light. Her expression turned into an angry one. "You're crazy! You almost got our team lose!" She exclaimed.

I frowned at her. "Why are you getting mad? Can't you see the score? We're way ahead. How can you call that losing?" I answered back, trying not get mad too. She, of all people, should be able to understand what I did. I _am_ doing this for her!

"Well, it would have been better if you told me about it earlier!" She shot back.

I couldn't believe it. Sakura and I are actually arguing about something as small as this. "What difference would it make?!" I'm really starting feel irritated at my bestfriend. Which is making me feel guilty at the same time.

Sakura-chan was taken aback by my question for a short moment, it kind of made me curious. But then she recovered quickly. "A lot difference. I wouldn't be all nervous sitting here worrying whether the team will win or lose for instance." She remarked angrily.

"Oh, so now you think I knew from the start that our team is going to win?" I said sarcastically. "I must be so good then if I can manipulate the game."

Before any of us can say another word to each other, the buzzer signaling the end of the game finally went off and the announcer declared our team the winner. And like any other game, the people got out of their seats and started heading for the court to congratulate the players.

But something else happened. Suddenly, the players who were sitting in the bench stood up and walked over to Sai. And when they got there, they started pushing and shoving him.

"What do you think you were doing out there? Why didn't you allow Sasuke to play?!" One of them asked angrily. And the sad thing was, no one even tried to stop them.

"See what you've done? You just ruined someone else's life." Sakura accused me before she stood and left.


	8. Suspicions

**All credits goes to Yves_Liong (writer from Wattpad) and Masashi Kishimoto (maker of Naruto).**

 **Warning: OOC characters**

 **-DenHime**

* * *

 **Battling With A Hot Guy**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 _ **07**_

No matter how annoying Sakura-chan's words were, she was right. It really was my fault Sai is in this situation where his closest peers were mad at him. I know I have to do something about it and not just watch here.

I ran over to the scene and attempted to stop the players from pushing and shoving Sai by pulling their arms with all my might. "Stop it! Please!" I exclaimed loudly. Unfortunately, you couldn't expect a girl like me to succeed in a situation like this, could you? And so, I ended up being pushed back hard.

I almost thought I was going to fall flat on my butt after one of those guys pushed me but to my surprise, someone managed to catch me before I completely lost balance. I turned and checked who it was.

"If you're going to continue stopping them that way, I don't think you're going to succeed." It was Sabaku Gaara and he didn't look very happy though he didn't seem mad either.

He was right. I had to think of another way to stop them. Maybe it was time for me to stop this by telling the truth. However, if I do that, everyone will get mad at me instead. But then again, it was my fault. Sai didn'y deserve to be the one to take the blame. I shouldn't have gotten him into this mess.

"Listen, everbody, I have something to say!" I finally shouted, hoping everyone will turn their attention to me. Sadly, no one even glanced at me. The basketball team just continued to push Sai around and yell at him.

I cleared my throat as I decided to shout again, this time I'm going to try to make it even louder. But before I could say anything, we heard a voice that made everyone stop. It's not that loud but not soft either. It was authoritative. "All of you, stop."

Everyone one, even me, turned towards the origin of the voice which was from the bench. Sasuke was already standing with a serious expression on his face. When the people saw him, silence filled the air. Even his angry teammates stopped. Soon, he was walking towards us. He removed his teammates' hands from Sai's clothes.

"What do you think you're doing? He **_is_** our captain." He spoke in a firm voice.

"He doesn't deserve to be called our captain after what he did!" One of the varsities scoffed.

"We almost lost because of his bad decision." Another said.

Sasuke's eyebrow arched. "Are you serious?" He asked in a sarcastic and annoyed tone. "Was there ever a game we played where we were confident in winning? Our opponents are unpredictable, they could play well or not."

The teammates couldn't answer Sasuke, and so he continued.

"You can't blame Sai for this. You and, we all chose him to be our captain. When we did that, we implied that we trust him. If Sai thinks one of us shouldn't play, we follow him. So if you have a problem with Sai, then you have a problem with me too."

After what Sasuke said, his teammates started backing away from Sai. With their heads down, they left the court. As soon as they were gone, Sai placed his hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "Thanks for doing that."

Suddenly, Sasuke frowned at Sai. "Why didn't you let me play?"

"That is..." Sai started, unsure of what to say. But then he smiled. "It's because I knew we could do it even without you. The other team is pretty easy." Sasuke just smirked. I was a bit taken aback when I saw Sasuke look my way. But maybe he was looking at something else since he turned to Sai immediately. Then the two started walking towards the locker room.

"What were you going to say just now?" Gaara suddenly asked from beside me. For a moment there, I forgot about his presence.

I turned to face him. "I think you already you know that." I answered, seeing how he frowned at me earlier.

He looked at me with confusion. "What do you mean?"

He was probably trying to cover up the fact that Sai told him about it. But I am not going to fall for that. "I know that Sai told you about our deal. That's why you were frowning at me earlier, weren't you?" I retorted.

"So you're really responsible for what happened after all. I was only speculating earlier that you have something to do about it since it involved Sasuke." He looked at me seriously. "How did you do it? How did you convince Sai?"

There he is again, confronting me like I'm an evil person. "Why are you like this towards me? If you se me as a bad person, why do you even bother talking to me?"

"Actually, I've just realized something. I was wrong about you." He said, looking at me with interest. "At first, I thought you're really doing this because Sasuke wouldn't go out with you. But then if that was the reason, why would you do all these things that would obviously make him hate you? So now I'm wondering, what's your real motive?"

So he sis actually smart. And he is definitely a good basketball player. But wait a minute, what was I saying? I shouldn't be thinking like this right now. "It's none of your business." I told him, leaving before I could formulate another silly thought. I still need to patch things up with Sakura-chan.

I decided to look for Sakura by her locker. She was probably getting ready to go home now. But on my way there, I saw here talking to a girl I couldn't recognize because I am still too far to see. I hurried towards them and finally realized who it was. It was Uzumaki Karin, the leader of Uchiha Sasuke's fanclub. Rumor has it that she was so obsessed over Sasuke that she even has a shrine in her room filled with Sasuke's stuff. Sadly though, Sasuke doesn't seem to notice her. At least not the way she wanted him to. The only times he would approach her was when he would ask where his bestfriend, Uzumaki Naruto, is knowing that Karin is the cousin of Naruto.

Anyway, when Sakura saw me nearing them, she quickly ended their conversation and said good bye to Karin. After that, she walked over to me with a cold expression that she always uses whenever we fight. Curious why she was talkin to Karin, I chose to leave the apologies for later. "Why are you talking to Karin? I thought you both hated each other?" I asked her. See, Karin hated the fact that Sakura became Sasuke's girlfriend when Sakura wasn't even part of Sasuke's fanclub. Karin believes that Sakura doesn't deserve him.

Sakura shrugged. "She approached me first." She replied, still not warming up. "What happened to your mess?"

I didn't answer her. Instead, I asked another question. "What did you two talk about?"

"About how disappointed everyone was that Sasuke didn't play." She answered flatly.

Seeing how she wouldn't soften unless I apologized, I finally swallowed my pride. "Look, I'm sorry, okay? I know I should've told you beforehand but I had a feeling that if I did, you wouldn't approve of it and you would definitely put a stop to it." I said, trying to sound sincere thoght it was a complete lie. After all, I have a feeling that she wasn't telling me something about her conversation with Karin so we are even.

She smiled upon hearing my apology. "You know that I would never stop you from doing something you want to do, right? I'm behind you whatever you do." She said. "Just don't surprise me like that again."

After that, we went home on our separate ways. But as I walked home, I just couldn't stop thinking about what it was that she's hiding from me. It was really strange how Karin and Sakura are talking to each other in a friendly way when they were the worst of the worst enemies. And Sakura hadn't been the perfect friend when I had to clean up the mess I made with Sai. She just left me all alone. If it wasn't for Sasuke, I'd probably be facing another swarm of haters. Could my bestfriend actually betray me?

 _No._

I was probably just being paranoid. I am fighting this battle for her, why would she desert me? I had to get my mind to think straight. Sasuke _**is** _ the enemy, not Sakura. He didn't even intentionally save me. He just wanted to help Sai.


	9. The Day Off and The Note

**All credits to Yves_Liong (writer from Wattpad) and Masashi Kishimoto (maker of Naruto).**

To the guest reviewer who told me: "kill yourself, disgusting delusional pathetic fucked up virgin."

 **Fuck off. You don't even review with your own account, coward. Only idiots like yourself says and does things like that. I'm so sorry that you have no manners and that this world is full of stupid creatures like you. Now, go away and fuck yourself.**

 **To the readers of this fic, if there are, I'm sorry I had to do that. I've been experiencing reviewers like that since I started writing my first SasuHina.**

 **Warning: OOC characters**

 **-DenHime**

* * *

 **Battling With A Hot Guy**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 _ **08**_

Over the weekend, I came to a decision that I would take a day off today from plotting something bad on Sasuke. I just thought that even though the possibility of Sasuke saving me intentionally was highly unlikely, the point is, he really did save me. And that was what mattered. That didn't mean I'd let him off the hook that quickly. I will just give him a break. Besides, I am going to be busy since I need to fulfill my end of the deal with Sai.

As soon as I arrived at the school, I looked for Ino. Unfortunately, I'm still afraid of opening my cellphone in fear that I might read a swarm of hate messages. I'd give another three days before I use it again. I opted to check by her locker first, since everyone usually go there before classes starts. Luckily, she is there.

"Ino-chan!" I called out as I approach her.

She turned to me with a friendly smile. "Hey, what's up?" She greeted as she take out her things from her locker.

I decided not to go straight to the point because it might sound awkward. "What are you gonna do at lunch today?"

Her eyebrow arched up. "Eating, of course." She chuckled.

I giggled at her attempt of being funny. "Alright, besides that?"

"Oh... Well, nothing. Why?"

I gave her an innocent smile. "Can you come with me later? I want you to meet someone." I said.

She looked at me curiously. "Who?"

"Just someone who thinks you're cool and pretty." I answered teasingly.

Her eyes grew wide. "You're kidding, aren't you?" She replied, trying to hide her excitement. I shook my head. "Who is it?"

"I can't tell you because that would ruin the element of surprise." I answered with a grin.

"At least give me a hint." She requested, her eyes filled with giddiness.

"Fine. He's in the varsity and he played a big part in the victory yesterday."

"The varsity?" She repeated, her smile suddenly getting wider. "Oh my gosh! I think I know who it is!"

"You do?" I asked playfully. "There are five possible guys that fit my hint."

She nodded. "I know that but I'm pretty sure I know who it is. I've been noticing how he's always looking at me when we pass at each other in the hallways." She remarked excitedly. "Anyway, where will we be meeting him later?"

I couldn't help but think that Sai doesn't need to be introduced anymore after all. It seemed like Ino likes him with the excitement she is showing. Nevertheless, a deal is a deal. "At the cafeteria. Let's eat lunch with him." I told her.

"Okay!" She exclaimed, then she checked her watch. "Oh, I need to go. I have to meet my classmates in two minutes."

"Okay, then. See you later!" I said, not wanting to be the reason for her being late.

When Ino left, I went to look for Sai. He told me when we talked about the deal that he would be in the music room by this time so I headed there. Once I got there, I heard a raspy but amazing voice. I peeked in the room and saw Gaara. Sai was the one playing the piano to accompany him. They were so engrossed with what they're doing that they did not notice me as I entered the room so I was able to appreciate their music for a while.

However, I accidentally bumped into a nearby chair and so that caused Sai to stop and turn towards my direction. Gaara soon followed what Sai was looking at.

Feeling like someone who had just eavesdropped, my cheeks felt hot as I raised my hand slowly. "Hi." I greeted in a stammer. "I'm sorry to interrupt."

It was a good thing they weren't mad or anything. "Hey!" Sai greeted back with a grin the he walked over to me. "So what's our schedule?"

"Lunch time. You'll get to eat with her alone." I said, getting rid of my embarrassed side. "That is, after I introduced you of course. I'll find an excuse and leave you two."

Gaara suddenly cut in. "I'm in this too, aren't I?" He asked Sai.

I raised my brow at him but Sai nodded. "Of course but you have to leave when Hinata leaves because if you don't, then we wouldn't be eating alone." He remarked happily.

And so, everything was settled. I quickly said good bye and went to my first class.

"Woah, you look like you just ran around the school." Sakura-chan commented with a chuckled as I took my seat, a little breathless from my brisk walking. "Don't tell me it's another scheme that kept you busy until now."

I shook my head. "Not today. Today is my official break. I'm not going to plan anything." I answered her with a smile.

"Are you serious or are you just lying to me?" She asked jokingly.

Which I found hard to be a joke. "You don't trust me?" I responded but dropping it off and playin along. "I'm just lying to you."

We continued joking around until the teacher finally arrived. It was pretty amazing how quickly things went back to how the way used to be between me and Sakura even thought we fought yesterday. I guess we have been friends for too long to let something as low as that break our friendship.

When the bell rang, I was worried about Sakura not being aware of the date I set up. Luvkily though, she told me she's going to do something so I better eat with someone else. I immediately met up with Ino and then headed towards the cafeteria. As I scanned the tables for Sai and Gaara, Ino squeezed my hand excited. And when we finally approached their table, Ino couldn't hide her excitement anymore.

"I knew it!" She whispered to me.

"Calm down." I told her though I was starting to feel excited too.

Sai stood up as soon as we reached their table. "Hello." He greeted politely, his cute innocent expreession intact.

Ino seemed surprise by Sai's sudden introduction so I decided to start introducing them myself. "Ino, this is Sai. He's the guy I was talking to you about."

Upon hearing that, I could have sworn I saw disappointment in Ino's eyes. But she seemed to have gotten rid of it fast. "Hello." She replied with a smile, I noticed her excietemnt died down.

We took our seats and just smiled at each other until I realized I forgot to introduce Gaara. "Oh, and that's Gaara-san, Sai's friend."

She nodded. "I know him. He's a really good basketball player."

After that, I decided it was time for me and Gaara to go to leave the two alone. "I hate to leave so quickly but I need to go now. I forgot to do my homework for trigonometry." I said, standing up from my seat.

Gaara stood up too. "I'll help you. I'm pretty good with math." He said, his face void of any expression.

"Okay then." I replied, turning to face Ino. "I'm really sorry, Ino-chan. I hope you and Sai have fun though."

And with that, Gaara and I left the cafeteria together. At first, we weren't talking to each other so it was very uncomfortable. But then Gaara broke the ice.

"Listen, I'm sorry about last Friday. I'm not usually nosy when it comes to other people. It's just that, it's not everyday I meet a girl who hates Sasuke, you know?" He spoke in a low tone.

"Well, it's not everyday Sasuke acts like a big jerk." I answered.

"Would you mind explaining that?" He asked, now in a nicer tone.

I didn't know what got into me but I suddenly told him about the truth. "Sasuke always wears a facade that people see as perfect. They don't see the Sasuke as what he really is, a big jerk. He broke up with Sakura-chan telling her he was tired of playing. And ever since then, I just can't see him as anything but a thick-faced player."

"So that's the reason you're doing all those thing that will make him to hate you." He remarked putting the pieces together. "But why are you fighting a battle that's not supposed to involve you? Shouldn't Sakura be the one doing those revenge plots you've been doing?"

I shook my head. "Sakura wouldn't do those things. She's too in love with that jerk. That's why I'm doing this for her. That's what friends are for, right?"

Gaara went silent for a while, like he is in deep thought. The he spoke again. "Have you heard Sasuke's side? Did he really admit saying those things to Sakura? Because I really can't picture hom doing something like that."

"I don't need his side of the story to confirm that he really that." I answered. "I've known him since kindergarten and I know that he's capable of doing it."

"So you were friends before?"

I shook my head. "Not really. We weren't enemies but we weren't exactly friends either." I answered. "Anyway, can we change the topic? I don't want to talk about Sasuke right now, especially since today is my break from revenge."

He smirked at me. "I never knew that you can take a break from revenge."

"Well, now you know." I said with a smile.

After that, we fell silent again but it wasn't uncomfortable this time. But our peace didn't last long when a an unfamiliar girl came up to me in a panic.

"Hyuuga Hinata! Give me your locker key now!" She exclaimed in a scary tone.

Surprised by her action, I wasn't able to respond. And so, Gaara spoke for me. "Why would she give her key to you?" He asked in calm tone.

"She stole Sasuke-kun's bracelet and she's keeping it in her locker!" The girl responded.

"What?" I exclaimed. "What are you talking about?!"

"Don't play dumb, everyone knows you did it. Just give me your kep and if it's there, then you can't deny it anymore." She spoke with hatred.

I decided to give her my key since I am confident that I didn't do anything. Gaara and I followed her as she headed to my locker. When she opened it, the bracelet is really there.

The question is, how did it get there?

* * *

 ** _09_**

A few months ago, I remembered Sakura ranting about a bracelet that Sasuke wears. She was complaining about why Sasuke never takes it off even when he's playing basketball. Even his closest friends couldn't make him take it off. And rumors say only Naruto knows the reason why the bracelet is so important. I sensed the importance of the bracelet to him since then. But even if I knew that Sasuke will definitely get mad if I take it, I never really considered doing it because I also have something that I always keep with me.

"You stole it?" Gaara asked in disbelief.

Everyone nearby seemed to have sensed the heat of the situation because they suddenly gathered around us.

"Why do you still ask her? Isn't the fact that the bracelet is in her locker enough evidence that she really did it?" The girl who opened my locker spoke, glaring angrily at me.

I decided to ignore her and answered Gaara instead. "Didn't I tell you earlier? I didn't plan anything today. How can I steal something when I'm with you?" I remarked honestly. "I swear I didn't do it."

"Who said the bracelet went missing during lunch period? It's been missing since early this morning!" The girl exclaimed. "Why don't you just admit it, huh? It's obvious that you did it but you still continue to deny it. Who could be stupid enough to believe your lies?"

Gaara didn't say anything but his expression already give his thoughts away. He doesn't believe me. And who would blame him? He doesn't even know me that well to trust me, especially when all the evidences are pointing at me. Seeing how it was hopeless for me to defend myself and knowing no one will believe me, I tirned around and decided to walk away.

"Where are you going? You can't just walk away. Not unless you admit your crime." The girl said, suddenly standing in front of me to block my path.

"I told you I didn't do it. Why would I admit something I didn't do?" I said, clearly not letting her just push me around.

She scoffed upon hearing me. "We'll send you to the Principla's office if you don't admit immediately." She said, threateningly.

But before I could answer her, Sasuke suddenly appeared from behind her. He is sporting a blank expression. "I did it. I was the one who placed the bracelet in her locker, not her." He said.

Everyone, including the scary girl, turned to him in surprise. "What are you talking about?" The girl reacted.

And there it was again, Sasuke's nonchalant expression. "Early today, I stopped by this locker to tie my shoe. But as I did, my bracelet got stuck in one of the vent holes. So when I was trying to remove it, it just fell inside." He explained.

It was almost funny how everyone believed whatever Uchiha Sasuke said. It was obvious that he was lying, from the expression of his face. Unfortunately, people couldn't see that. Instead, they smile and nodded along to show they understand and believe him. It was really pathetic.

"So don't blame Hinata anymore." Sasuke concluded, everyone nodded their heads and just then the people started clearing out of the scene. He didn't really have a problem with that request, especially since the girls will just believe whatever he says.

Once everyone except me, Gaara, Sasuke and Naruto (he was just behind Sasuke all this time), had gone back to their own businesses, Sasuke turned to me with a nonchalant expression again.

"Sory for the trouble, Hinata-chan." Naruto was the one who spoke, with an apologetic smile.

I knew what Sasuke was doing. He is trying to make himself look good in front of everybody. "If you think I'm stupid enough to believe everything you said, you're wrong. And if you think I'm grateful for your help, I'm not. In fact, I'd rather not be saved at all if you're the one who's gonna save me." I said with a hateful tone. I turned to Gaara with a disappointed expression. I just couldn't take how he didn't believe me after I confessed everything earlier.

As I started walking away from them, I couldn't help but think about what just happened. I knew for a fact that Sasuke didn't accidentally placed the bracelet in my locker. In fact. He probably did it intentionally in we are at war. But then again, if he really wanted to make me suffer, then why did he get me out of the mess himself?

I suddenly remembered how Sakura told me to eat lunch with someone else because she has to talk to someone. It could just be a co-incidence that Sakura wasn't with me then. Or could it really be her?

Continuing to walk, I noticed a girl who took my key earlier together with another girl and they were holding a key just above the trash bin. For a moment, I wondered who could be their unlucky victim next to me. But then I recalled I haven't really gotten my key back.

Feeling my pocket, I swore my jaw dropped. I immediately run towards them, shouting out. "Don't do it!"

But those girls, being so heartless, dropped the key just about when my hand was only an inch apart from it. The girl even smiled at my face. "You're lucky Sasuke-kun doesn't hate you because we do." She said and then they left.

The first thing I saw in the trash was this half-eaten sandwich that was now filled with ants, and to top it off, a dead cockroach was beside it. Now, I am not the tupe of person who gets disgusted easily but seeing those, I couldn't possibly dig through them to find my lost key. But without it, I can't get my books for my classes after lunch, which according to watch is just five minutes away. What should I do?

Out of sheer panic, I decided I have to look for it. But before I get my hands disgustingly dirty, I ran to the nearest comfort room and got as many tissues as possible. When I got back, I took two pieces of tissue paper and used them as gloves as I started rummaging through extremely stinky stuff.

I never realized how hard it was to find a needle in a haystack until I did this. I already heard the bell signaling the end of lunch period but I still haven't found my key. I was even on the verge of giving up when I found a came across a brown goey substance with a very fould odor but then I saw my pink, hairy keychain few inches away from it. I grimaced and immediately grabbed my locker key and ran towards the comfort rom again to wash my hands.

As I held onto my key with a tissue, I noticed a paper stuck to it. I was about to throw it away on a nearby trash bin but then I caught a glimpse of a familiar handwriting on the crumpled note. Curious, I uncrumpled it and read the note that I thought was Sakura's handwriting as I walk out of the comfort room.

But before I could read it, a teacher suddenly appeared before me with a very stern expression. "What are you doing outside the classroom? Lunch period is over." He spoke in a very scary tone. Then he caught sight of my dirty hands and frowned. "Why are your hands so messy?"

He probably thought I'm crazy because it was written on his face. I gave him a naive expression. "I-I was looking for my key and so I lost track of time." I told him honestly. But he kept looking at my disgusting hands. "I accidentally dropped my kep in the trash bin so I looked for it there."

Unfortunately, finding key in the trash bin was not suitable excuse for being late in class. The teacher gave me an hour's detention after class and told me to wash my hands and get back to class. And so I did what he said, keeping the mysterious note inside my pocket then I washed my hands twenty time before going to class.

Sakura didn't seem to be aware of what happened during lunch period so I assumed she has nothing to do with it. I didn't even think about it while I continued on with classes. Sakura and I said good bye when I got to detention.

I decided to check out the note I placed in my pocket since there's nothing to do at detention. I took it out and read it. Just then a lot of thoughts starting formulating in my brain when I finally read the note.

 _"Karin, we need to talk about Hinata. Let's meet this lunch period. -Sakura"_


	10. Fears and Doubts

**All credits to Yves_Liong (writer from Wattpad) and Masashi Kishimoto (maker of Naruto).**

 **These 2 chapters are completely different from the original work of Ms. Yves_Liong. Well, I've rephrased all chapters for the sake of Sasuke's personality. But chapters 10 and 11 are a lot different compared from the previous ones. Since the original lead is very carefree and not as smart as Sasuke. I kind of want to alternate it so as to not copy the whole story. After all, this is Naruto style. Thank you for those who understands!**

 **If you'd like and you're interested, please read Battling With A Hot Guy in Wattpad written by Yves_Liong. The original version has korean characters. The main lead is Lee Dong Hae of Super Junior. He's my husband. Hehe. Jkjk! ❤️**

 **Warning: OOC characters**

 **-DenHime**

* * *

 **Battling With A Hot Guy**

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 **.**

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 _ **10**_

So many questions were formulated in my mind as I held Sakura-chan's note, and no matter what I do, I couldn't stop the thoughts. Why would Sakura and Karin talk about me? Was it because they were going to plot something against me?

Does Sakura have something to do with the past plans I had that backfired? And the biggest question of all was, why would Sakura do something like that to me?

As I sit through detention with a couple of unfamiliar students, I just couldn't get myself together. I want to go home and talk to Sakura to clear things up. My eyes focused on the wall clock hoping that the minutes pass by faster.

When the bell finally rang, everyone hurried out of their seats and left the room. The school is only open until 5:30 pm and it is already 5 pm. Everyone doesn't want to get locked inside for the night so you could just imagine how everyone was trying to hurry. Believe it or not, even I was twice as fast since I want to confront Sakura. In a matter of five minutes I am already halfway towards home.

However, when I reached our doorstep, I remembered something. I opened my bag and checked for my Physics book. We have an assignment that is due tomorrow and since the teacher is an old widow, it's a big no-no not to do it. But how could I do it when I forgot to place my Physics book inside my bag? I have to go back to school and get it.

Luckily, the school and my home are nearbto each other, I was able to reach school still open. I didn't waste any time and hurried to my locker. The hallways are already deserted and silent which I'm not used to. In fact, it almost felt scary. There are rumors that our school was once a morgue and the school was just built over it. For that reason, whenever it started getting dark, the school would become haunted with ghosts.

"Ghosts aren't real." I whispered to myself as I open my locker and I took my Physics book.

Suddenly, I heard a sound coming from a nearby classroom. It sounded like a chair being moved. My heart began to race as I remember that there was no one besides me in this area. I saw the janitor earlier heading towards the second floor.

 _It's probably just a rat._

I attempted to convince myself. But of course, who in their right mind would believe a rat can move chairs? There was definitely someone in that room, and even though I used to find heroines in horror flicks very stupid whenever they check out the place even though they already knew that it would give them the scare of their lives, I found myself doing the exact same thing by walking towards the room where the sound came from.

When I was just about a meter away from the door, I heard another similar sound come from it. This time, the sound was even louder so I jumped in surprise. And so, I reached for the door, I hastily did the sign of the cross then I took a peek inside. Aft first, I didn't see any presence in the room but when I looked at the left side, I saw a person. A guy with his head lying on his crossed arms. I couldn't recognize him because his head is facing the other side. Somehow, I have a feeling who it is and I am sure it wasn't a ghost.

Wanting to confirm whether he is who I assumed he was. I walked over and tapped his shoulder. "Excuse me, aren't you going home yet?" I asked in a friendly tone. Just in case I was wrong.

He didn't wake up with that so I shook him hard. That made him raise his head and blink at me sleepily. "Who are you?"

I can't help but knot my forehead now that I confirmed that it's really him. Now I feel like I'm regretting waking Uchiha Sasuke up. "I'm no one. Go back to sleep." I answered, turning around and running away from him before he could reply.

As soon as I was out of the room, I realized that the hallways had gotten darker. At first, it was still fine for me to continue walking. But when I reached the end of the hallway, I noticed that the next hallway is even darker. And even though I hate to admit it, I am afraid of the dark so I turned around and headed back to where Sasuke was and where there was light.

When I got there, Sasuke is staring into space. He was probably still adjusting to his surroundings. I didn't wait for him to completely adjust and I just called his attention.

"Uchiha Sasuke! Let's go home!" I told him, trying not to sound friendly because he might think I want to be friends with him yet trying not to sound too harsh either because he might not accompany me through those dark hallways.

He snapped out of his trance and turned to me. The he smirked playfully. "What are you talking about? I don't want to go home yet." He spoke. "I heard there are ghosts here at this time. I want to see them. Don't you?"

"There's no such things as ghosts, okay? So let's just go home." I answered him, careful not to show any hint about my fear of the dark. If he knew about it, he'd definitely not accompany me out of here.

He shook his head stubbornly. "No, I'm not going home yet. Why don't you go ahead by yourself? It's just 6pm."

I bit my lip and tried to reason. "I can't leave without you. If people finds out I left you here alone at this time, I'm sure they'll attack me."

"I'll tell them it's me who told you to go ahead and leave me." But then he smirked. Maybe he realized how awful my reasoning really was. "Wait a minute. You're afraid of going alone, aren't you?"

I pretended not to understand what he was implying si it wouldn't be obvious that it was true. "What are you talking about? I'm just trying to protect myself from your obsessed fans. They're very capable of doing the craziest things for the smallest reasons."

Unfortunately, Sasuke didn't fall for that. "If that's what you're worried of, then I guarantee you that no one is going to hurt you. If someone does, I'll make sure they'll be sorry." Somehow, the way he said it made me feel like it wasn't just about this incident anymore. That he's saying that because he really doesn't want anyone to hurt me. But I shook my head. That's a stupid notion. Uchiha Sasuke and I are enemies. "You know, I heard that there's a little girl dressed in white lurking around the hallways during this time. As she walks, she calls out the name of the personshe sees in a small, innocent voice. Hinata... And then suddenly, she'll pounce at you." At the exact time he said the word 'pounce,' he stomped his right foot causing me to jump in surprise.

"It's not funny!" I cried out as he began to chuckle at my reaction. "You're just making that up!"

Suddenly, I felt something moving behind my neck. I screamed and ran towards Sasuke's side, only to find that it wasn't the scary hand of the little girl but a cockroach that flew away as soon as I moved. And that's the first time I saw Uchiha Sasuke laugh. Even back when Sakura and him are together, he never chuckled or laughed. Maybe just smirk or evil grin but never a laugh.

"Sakura never mentioned you were afraid of insects. I would have given you a box of spiders if I knew." He said as he laugh.

At the mention of Sakura's name, I remembered how I was supposed to be mad at him. I turned serious and faced him. "How can you mention Sakura's name do casually like that after you guys broke up? Aren't you even a bit sad about it?" I said angrily, hoping he'll take me seriously.

Sadly though, Sasuke probably just wouldn't take his break-up with Sakura seriously. "Only stupid people feel sad after a break-up." He said with a serious tone.

By the way he answered, I could already imagine how he broke up with Sakura. I could feel how painful it was for my best friend who had been serious about their relationship. "If that's how you feel about Sakura, then why did you agreed to be her boyfriend?!" I asked as I felt my blood boiling.

"She told me she really likes me."

"You have a fan club filled with those girls who even worship you! Why do ypu have to choose Sakura and then just hurt her?!"

"Because if I chose someone else, then I wouldn't be able to tease you."

* * *

 ** _11_**

I always thought Sasuke is logical and reasonable. But after hearing his reason for choosing Sakura, I couldn't help but see him as immature and childish. Or maybe he just hates me so much that he enjoys teasing and making fun of me. Either way, I still hate him. Especially since now I know he never took his relationship with Sakura seriously.

"I don't even know why I bothered asking you. I told him then I checked my watch. "Can you just give me a break and accompany me out of here? I still need to do my Physics assignment."

"You're too worried about school work. Is there even a time when you stopped thinking about studying?"

"Just because you can pass easily, doesn't mean everyone should be as carefree like you. Not everyone has a company to run already so we have to study and pass." I shot back at him. Believe it or not, Uchiha Sasuke is on top of the batch. He doesn't take studies seriously but he always manages to be on top of the ranking. Even higher than Ino's, or that genius guy on the next class who is really lazy.

He didn't say anything to that. I decided that it was hopeless to beg or even just talk to him. I just sat on one of the chairs and rested my chin on my right hand. I wish I didn't go back for my book. I wouldn't be able to do my homework now anyway. At least not unless this mean person accompanies me out of school.

After about five minutes of doing absolutely nothing, I took a glance Sasuke who looks like he's tired of staring into space. He saw me looking at him and suddenly smirked then he stood up. "Let's go home. But in one condition, you must do something for me."

I raised my brow at him. "What is that?"

He suddenly turned serious. "Be my girlfriend."

I tried to see if there's any hint of joke but his face is really serious. Is that his new idea of a prank? Was that what he was thinking while he's staring into space? Think of another joke to humiliate me? "Are you serious? Are you not aware of the fact that I hate every fiber of your being?" I could feel my cheeks heating up though.

His expression still did not falter. "So?"

"You're crazy, you know that?" I scoffed, standing up from my seat. "Never. I'd rather stay here until tomorrow!"

That's when he laughed hard again. "I was just playing with you. I'm not desperate enough to ask a girl to be my girlfriend out of the blue. Especially not someone like you." Seriously? What is wrong with him?

"Someone like me? You think you're too good for me? It's the other way around, I'm too good for you. I deserve someone who likes me for who I am." I responded, trying to cover up the fact that I considered his joke was true.

He ignored my statement though and started walkin towards the door. "Seriously though, let's go home now." He said it like we're going home in the same house. What am I thinking? Stop it, Hinata!

I walked over to his side without a word. As soon as I was standing next to him, he turned off the switch of the lights. I was again overcome with fear and so I moved my hands to search for him. "Sasuke? Where are you?" I panicked when I realized he's not beside me anymore. He's probably playing a joke on me again. "It's not funny!" I shouted again, I almost feel like crying.

Suddenly, I felt someone grab my right hand. "I'm here. I'm right here, okay?" Sasuke spoke, his voice unusually calm and soft. I stopped panicking and started following Sasuke as he lead the way not letting go of my hand. Somehow, I didn't bother to get him to take his hand off. "Why did you stay here if you're afraid of the dark?"

"I left my Physics book. Then I saw you sleeping. I thought you were someone else so I woke you up."

"Hn. You found me cute while sleeping, don't you?" He suddenly asked teasingly.

I was going to tell him he was so full of himself but decided not to. He is, after all, accompanying me. So I ignored it and just asked something else. "What were you doing there sleepin anyway?"

"I fell asleep in class." He answered nonchalantly.

"I should have left you sleeping. You'll probably sleep all throughout the night." By this time my eyes adjusted in the dark and I could see where we are by the help of some light shining through the windows.

Sasuke stopped on his tracks. "Do you regret waking me up?" He asked in a taunting tone.

Seeing how we're near to the exit, I decided that being honest wouldn't hurt now. "Yes!"

I yelled and then brushed his hand off mine and ran as fast as I could towards the gate. As soon as I got out, I couldn't be any happier when I saw the street posts. I didn't bother to wait for Sasuke and just headed straight home.

When I got home, father scolded me about going home when the sun down. No matter how much I tried explaining that I had to go back for my Physics book, he wouldn't accept it. Even Neji-niisan, my older brother and Hanabi, my younger sister, scold at me for coming home late. My family wasn't a bad one. They are all just care and worries for me a lot even since there was incidence when I was a child that I was involved in. This is all because of Sasuke. I begrudgingly thought.

I almost forgot about confronting Sakura since I was in a rush to finish my homework. Thanks to my father, brother and sister. It feels like I'm the youngest child by the way they scold me.

As I was changing into my pajamas, I found the dirty piece of paper with Sakura's note to Karin. I hurriedly picked up the phone and dialed Sakura's number, my anxiety coming back.

"Hello?" Sakura answered after four rings. She sounded a bit sleepy from the tone of her voice. She was probably about to sleep.

"Sakura-chan, it's me, Hinata. I need to talk to you." I said seriously.

"Can't this wait until tomorrw? I'm really sleepy." She replied.

I didn't answer her, instead I went straight to the point. "You and Karin. What exactly did you two talked about?" I asked not mentioning the note. If she's honest, she'd tell me the truth now.

She didn't speak for about a minute then she finally answered. "Do you really want me to answer that? Don't you trust me?"

"You know what? That's exactly the problame how can I trust you?" I asked her, suddenly feeling like I'm about to cry"How could you do this to me? I thought you're on my side? And to think I'm fighting this battle for you. But why does it feel like I'm the only one fighting now?"

"What are you talking about? I am on your side. I really do appreicate what you're doing for me."

I decided to tell her about what I found. "I saw a note today. I found it in the trash when Sasuke's fangirls threw my key. It was such a coincidence that the note stuck to my key. I would have thrown it but then I recognized your handwriting. I know you talked to Karin about me."

Sakura didn't speak. Silence filled the air and I took that as a confirmation that she is guilty. Suddenly, everything I did these past few days doesn't make sense anymore.

The pure reason why I was batlin with a hot guy disappeared.


	11. The Betrayal and A Secret

**To** **farahb** **, thank you so much! I don't know how else to express my gratitude so this one's for you.**

 **I really have to get Sasuke in character even if Hinata is not.**

 **Warning: OOC characters. Or should I say just OOC? Hm...?**

 **Love,**

 **DenHime**

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 **Battling With A Hot Guy**

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 _ **12**_

There are a lot of things I wanted to ask and tell Sakura; that I've been doing all this for her, how did she pull this off, what did she want to get for doing it, why would she team up with Karin, does she hate me, and most importantly, why did she do it at all? I really want to know her answers. But seeing how she wouldn't even admit her fault, there is no way she's going to answer any of my questions. And so, having no other option, I decided to end the conversation.

"I... Still have a homework to finish. Bye." That's what I only manage to say. Really, Hinata? Seriously? Can't I be any lamer?

After we hang up, that was when realization hit me. I was the biggest fool in the world. Gaara was right when he said I shouldn't involve myself in Sakura's battle. But I just had to believe that Sakura is going to fight with me. And you couldn't blame me for that either, since our friendship went back way when we were still in 6th grade, and not once did she ever abandon me. I remember how happy I was back then when she offered to be the one to sit in my spot because she knew how much I dislike Sasuke even back then, and Sasuke was constantly my seatmate since kindergarten.

Maybe Sakura wasn't really the problem in this situation. There must be something that made her turn her back on me. I mean, of course I couldn't deny the fact that it was Sakura who actually betrayed me but there was a reason for that. And when I thought about it, my efforts were not completely wasted because even though I wasn't sure why Sakura suddenly changed towards me, I was sure whatever reason it is it involves Sasuke.

Maybe she just really loves Sasuke and she couldn't stand the idea of me hurting him. But then if that's the case, how could she choose Sasuke over me? Were our long years of friendship suddenly more unimportant than her first love?

All of a sudden, I found an answer to my problem. If Sakura wanted to change sides, then so be it. But that didn't mean I will back down just because I lost her alliance. I could do it on my own. Besides, she was never on my side anyway. She was just there to listen to my plans and try to ruin it behind my back.

Having settled my problem, I finally went to bed. And believe it or not, I slept very well that I took it as a good sign for my decision last night. But when I woke up 15 minutes later than usual, I started to rethink it. Well, not really, since I was in hurry to avoid being late and be scolded by father again. Somehow, I have a feeling this was not the best day of my life.

I didn't know what got into me because after keeping my cellphone inside my drawer for days, I found myself taking it out in the middle of rushing out of my room. Once I reached school in the very last minute, I turned it on.

After deleting all the messages without bothering to read them, I was really glad to see no more new messages coming. In fact, I was so happy that I almost forgot what happened yesterday so I started writing a message to Sakura. But then I remembered our fight. Okay, so we didn't really fight but we both knew we shouldn't be talking to each other right now so I sent Ino-chan the message instead, telling her how happy I am that I can use my phone again.

Ino quickly replied, saying **_"That's great! Hey, want to eat lunch together later? I want to talk to you."_**

I instantly accepted her invitation, then she told me where we are supposed to meet.

When I entered first class, Sakura is already seated on her usual seat. I was going to sit in my place when Karin suddenly arrived at the door. Sakura then called Karin. "Karin! Come sit here." She invited, pointing to my usual seat.

Karin smirked in reply and started walking towards the seat. Once she reached my back, she pushed me aside without even an excuse and sat down, facing Sakura. "Thanks for saving me a seat." She remarked in a mocking tone towards me. I looked at Sakura in disappointment.

I found myself another seat near the back. And guess what? No one even bothered to sit beside me. It was like I'm the plague. I tried not to think about it and just took out my notebook to browse. Until a shadow suddenly loomed above me. I looked up to find a small, cute cake in front of me. It was being held by none other than Sabaku Gaara, who is still sporting that same serious expression. It is kinda funny that he's holding a cake while sporting a blank expression.

"What's that?" I asked him, raising my eyebrow at him.

"A peace offering." He said, placing the cake over my table. "Forgive me?"

Seriously speaking, I never take him to be the kind of person who knew how to be silly like this. I guess I just got used to him being so serious and angry. "I don't know.. Don't you think it's a too small for all those times you doubted me?" I remarked, playing along with him.

"I did plan on buying a bigger one. But if I did, you might turn into a big, fat lady like the one I bought this from." He joked.

"Funny. For your information, I don't want to be skinny so I'm not on a diet." And he did managed to make me chuckle. I am not chubby but I am also not skinny. I think my size is just fine and I am happy the way I am.

He then smiled, the first time I saw him do. "Then this cake is just right for you. So do you forgive me?"

I couldn't help but smile widely. "Fine. I'm going to give you one last chance."

He smiled that very rare smile so I just smiled back. After that the teacher arrived and started lecturing about heat of fusion and heat of vaporization so we stopped talking and just listened to the discussion. From time to time though, Gaara would draw something and would show it to me. He drew pretty well. And somehow, I found sitting with him more entertaining than when I sit beside Sakura.

Two more classes came and then the lunch bell eventually rang, ending our morning classes. As I stood up from my seat though, he turned and spoke to me. "I'll see you later, Hinata."

I smiled at him and carried the cake, now in a box. "This cake better taste as good as it looks or else you won't be seeing me sitting beside you next time." I joked.

"Of course, it does. I didn't bake it so it has to." He joked back. "Bye then."

As soon as our conversation ended, I headed to where Ino-chan and I are supposed to meet, and boy she looked excited when I saw her there. She was checking her watch and her face lit up as I near her.

"What took you so long?" She demanded.

I chuckled at her. "Stop exaggerating, I'm just two minutes late." She suddenly linked her arms with mine. "So what's up?"

"Well, for starters, why did you leave me alone with Sai yesterday?"

"Why? What's wrong? I just want you to get to know Sai better." I replied. "Don't you like him?"

Ino shifted uncomfortably. "Well, it's not that... It's just, don't you think he's a bit weird?"

I couldn't help but laugh at her reaction. But then why did she look excited that day when I was going to introduce her to Sai?

Just then, she answered my question. "I like someone else."

Before we could say anything more, Karin and Sakura, together with three other girls suddenly appeared in front of us. They were sneering at us. Except for Sakura. She, on the other hand, is facing the floor.

"It's time, Sakura. Prove that you're really on our side." Karin gave a bottle of water to Sakura. "Pour this over Hinata."

Can Sakura really do it to me?"

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 ** _13_**

Even though I knew Sakura had turn her back on me, I am almost sure she wouldn't do what Karin asked her to do. I believed that even if she chose love over friendship, she wouldn't choose Karin's friendship over mine.

However, I couldn't help but feel wronged when Sakura suddenly took a step towards me, gripping the bottled water firmly. And having seen this, Ino took action. She walked over to Sakura and stood in front of her with an angered expression.

"What are you doing? Are you seriously going to listen to someone like her?" She remarked, pointing at Karin with disgusted look.

Sakura didn't speak at once, she just looked down but then looked up at us again. And then she finally responded. "I have the right to listen to anyone I want." She said with an icy tone. "You have a problem with that?"

Ino shook her head disbelievingly. "Have you gone crazy?! Have you forgotten how much trouble Karin caused you before? Especially the time you were dating Sasuke?! Now you're going to ruin your friendship with Hinata and me? Please tell me you're not stupid enough to do that." Ino said angrily. I couldn't even get myself to speak because of disbelief that Sakura has really turned her back on our friendship.

"She's not stupid if she does what I told her to do. I don't see anything stupid with trying to protect your boyfriend from the girl who wants to ruin him." Karin shot back at Ino then she turned to Sakura. "You're doing the right thing, Sakura."

Ino stood firm. "If you're going to do that then you have to pass right through me, Sakura."

Karin, who was always unafraid of anyone, decided to fight Ino by pushing her away. "That's easy." She said as she pushed Ino some more. And with Ino out of the way, Karin told Sakura to go. "Do it now."

Sakura followed her order and started walking towards me with a blank expression. I decided that maybe I could talk her out of it. "Are you really going to do this to me?"

Sakura didn't budge at all. She continued walking then she stopped once she was right in front of me. She then poured the water over me so quickly that I didn't even have any time to move away. And when it was over, she gave me a cold look. "This is what you want me to be." She dropped the bottle and started walking away leaving her so-called new friends behind.

I became unaware of things that's happening around me. All I try to think was different reasons why Sakura did this to me. Then I heard Karin and Ino fighting. There are lots of people around us as Ino and Karin try to pull each other's hairs and pushing each other.

I was on the verge of stopping them when someone came out of the crowd and stood before them. It's none other than Sai, following him is Gaara, who didn't seem to notice my presence.

As soon as Ino saw Sai, she turned away and rolled her eyes. But when she noticed Gaara appear behind Sai, a smile of interest formed in her lips as she continued to defend herself from Karin. Sai's presence is not enough to stop Karin though. And so, he grabbed one of Karin's arms and held it firmly.

"What do you think you're doing?" He asked with a very serious expression.

Karin must have noticed that Sai wasn't smiling like usually and instantly stopped moving her other arm. "I'm defending myself from her." She replied and tried to shake off his grip from her arm.

Sai raised a brow. "Are you serious? I just saw you attacking her." Sai lets go of Karin's arm as Karin glared at Ino. "Look, I don't know what happened here but I don't think you should hit Ino."

People around us started murmuring upon hearing that. "Sai likes Ino!" Someone said loudly.

"They'll look good together!" Another yelled.

Ignoring the people, Sai spoke again. "Apologize to Ino now."

Karin laughed at that. "Are you joking? She's not that innocent! She pushed me first!"

Of course Ino shot back. "Everyone saw it was you who attacked first! You even asked bestfriends to fight each other!" She exclaimed, pointing towards me without looking.

Gaara had only just been listening until he heard about the 'bestfriends' part and turned to where Ino pointed, which was me. And upon seeing me, he rushed over to my side with, surprisingly, a concerned expression. "Are you alright? What happened?" He asked, seeing my wet condition.

Ino turned towards us while Sai handles Karin. I could have sworn her expression was in dismay but then it was gone in a second. She motioned for me to go using her hand. Nodding at her with thanks, I turned to Gaara.

"C'mon, let's go somewhere else and then tell me what happened." I nodded in agreement, then he took my hand and even though I was beyond surprised, I decided to go with him. He led me away from there and we entered an empty classroom.

He motioned me to sit down and I did. "It's really nothing." I started, I do not want him or anyone else close to me to worry about it. "Sakura and I just had a fight."

"And where does Karin come in?" He asked.

I sighed and knew that he won't stop asking questions anyway si I decided to answer him. "Last night, I found out that the reason why all my plans against Sasuke never work. It was because of Sakura-chan teamed up with Karin to stop me." I explained, pausing for a bit to clear my throat. "But I never thought Sakura would choose Karin over me. Karin asked her to pour a bootle of water over me and she didn't hesitate to do it."

Gaara sighed, althought his face is blank, I know he sympathize with me. "You don't deserve a friend like Sakura. You did everything for her, even if it made you look bad in front of people. But in the end it was her who was sabotaging your plans. Don't fret about losing someone like her."

Before I can reply, my phone started ringing so I took the call first. "Hello?"

 _"Hinata! Come over to the cafeteria entrance quickly! Sakura is confronting Sasuke!"_ Ino spoke loudly.

"What do you mean?"

 _"Just come over here!"_

She suddenly hang up and so I decided that I better listen to Ino. I stood up and dragged Gaara out of the room and towards the cafeteria. "Where are we going?" He asked, confused.

I didn't answer him since we're near the cafeteria. When Gaara realized that we are heading there, he let out a small chuckle. "If you're hunrgy, you should have just eaten the cake you're holding in the room."

Honestly, I didn't realize that I am still holding the box of cake until he told me. Sadly, I was too worried to respond to that. When we reached the place, I was even more nervous because the air was so intense. Sakura was obviously crying since her eyes are puffy red, and Sasuke's face is stoic.

"I can't keep your secret any longer, Sasuke-kun." Sakura started to say. Sasuke's eyes widened a bit. "I'm so tired of hiding it from _her_." Her? Who is she talking about? "I don't think Hinata should be left out of this. It's time for her to know what you want me to keep a secret." At the mention of my name, my eyes widened. Why does it involve me?

What could it be?


	12. Confusion

**To the guest reviewer, _Sasuhinafan_ , thank you so much! This chapter is dedicated to you. I hope you continue reading and reviewing. Thanks a lot! :)**

 **All credits to Yves_Liong (writer from Wattpad) and Masashi Kishimoto (maker of Naruto).**

 **Warning: OOC characters**

 **-DenHime**

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 **Battling With A Hot Guy**

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 _ **14**_

Everyone waited anxiously for Sakura to say what she threatened Sasuke she would say. I am the most anxious of all since it involves me. But she was really taking a really long time to do it. Sakura heaved a huge sigh and walked towards Uchiha Sasuke. She stopped once she's standing a good meter from him. She looked up at him in the eyes bravely.

"Everyone's been wondering why Sasuke broke up with me. And everyone's right that there's a third party. The only question is, who is it?" She looked at Sasuke like she was daring him to do something. "It's-"

Sakura's revelation was cut by Naruto's sudden words. "It's me. I'm the third party." He revealed, causing everyone to turn to him. "That's right, I'm the one who caused the break-up."

As Naruto spoke, everyone was letting out 'Oh's' and 'Ah's.' I even heard someone behind me spoke. "So the rumor that Sasuke is gay is true?!"

I couldn't help but let a laugh escape, since I made that rumor, but that was only for a short while because the intensity of the situation hadn't disappear.

Naruto must have heard that because he reacted to it. "What? No! We're not gay!" He exclaimed. "What I meant is... I like Sakura-chan. And I wanted to get close to her so I asked Sasuke to make a move on her."

"Then why Sasuke? You could have just made a move yourself!" Someone from the crowd retorted.

"Because I knew she liked Sasuke. If I made a move myself, she will just reject me. So I persuaded Sasuke to go out with her. At least that way I could be near her." His tone unusually serious, everyone knows how goofy Naruto is that is why his words convinced everyone, even me. "But after a while of seeing them together I felt more and more jealous. I was afraid I might lose her completely if Sasuke continued to be her boyfriend so I asked him to break up with Sakura-chan."

Somehow, what Naruto said made a lot of sense. However, as I tried to read Sakura's reaction, I have a feeling that what she was going to say was different from what Naruto said. Surprise was completely written on her face. We all looked at Sasuke to get the confirmation of Naruto's statement.

Unfortunately, we didn't get it because a teacher arrived at the scene, probably thinking there was a fight going on because of the crowd gathered around them. Upon seeing she was wrong, the teacher couldn't take back her firm and angry expression. "Why is everyone gathered here when you should be having lunch? Go and have your lunch!" She yelled as she stood beside Sakura. She moved her head from one side to another to show that she was addressing it to everyone.

The people naturally got out of there not wanting to get in trouble. And the teacher, seeing how everyone left, walked away satisfied. Gaara led me out of there, leaving Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto. Ino, on the other hand, left with Sai.

I wanted to go back to see what might happen between the three but decided against it as Gaara and I walk inside the cafeteria. We saw Ino and Sai talking to each other. Ino seemed happy as she talk to Sai so I guess she's giving him a chance.

"So how do you feel about Sasuke now?" Gaara asked me as we took our seats in a deserted table. I decided not to sit with Ino and Sai since they're talking so nicely and I do not want to bother them.

I looked at Gaara questioningly. "What do you mean? I didn't see how a few information about Sakura's break up would change Sasuke's image in my mind. He is still that insensitive jerk to me."

"Naruto admitted he just convinced Sasuke to go out with Sakura. That meant Sasuke didn't really played with Sakura's feelings." He pointed out.

I placed the box of cake on the table and took out the cake. "Well, he shouldn't have agreed to what Naruto asked of him. He could have just help Naruto in a different way. Now they both played with Sakura's feelings. Besides, he told Sakura that he was tired of playing when he broke up with her. How insensitive was that?"

"Why do you hate him so much?" Gaara suddenly asked as I began tasting the cake he gave me.

There are countless of answers for that but I don't feel like enumerating them at all. "I just do." I simpled answered, gesturing for him to taste the cake too. "Can we just stop talking about him?"

"You're right. Okay then, let's stop talking about him then. At least I'm not the one you hate." He said and tasted the cake as I gestured him to.

"Oh, yeah? How sure are you that you're not on my hate list?" I asked teasingly.

"I'm very sure because this cake tastes delicious. You can't possibly start hating me after tasting a cake as good as this." He replied with a playful smirk.

I chuckled at his reply. I really enjoy being with Gaara. In fact, I think I'm starting to like him. But of course it's too early to say that, right?

After lunch, I sat with Gaara in class and when classes were over, he even walked me to my locker. However, when we got there, Sakura is standing there as if she's waiting for me. I said good bye to Gaara and approached her.

"I need to talk to you." She spoke as soon as I reached her.

"Go on then." I answered, crossing my arms. I was expecting her to say sorry for what she did to me.

She frowned at me. "Not here. Can we go somewhere else?" She asked, looking around.

I figured that she's embarrassed to say sorry in front of many people so I gave her a break and agreed. "Fine."

I followed her after I left my books in my locker. We left the school and now walking down the street, she then started speaking. "If you think I'm about to say sorry, I'm not." She started then continued on. "At least not for betraying you because I didn't do anything near betrayal."

I frowned at her. "If that's not betrayal then what do you call that? You know what? I figured it all out. When I told you about the rumor I spread, you went to the bathroom and what hapened next? A rumor about me spread even faster! And about the number I posted on the wall? You're the only one I told about my plan, and yet it backfired! But when I planned something with Sai, when I didn't tell you anything, that's the only time my plan actually worked."

She shook her head at me. "Those were all coincidences. You want to know why I talked to Karin? It was to protect you!" She exclaimed the same intensity as mine.

"Protect me?" I asked, mocking a laugh. "You call pouring a bottle of water on your _bestfriend_ protecting? Are you serious?"

Sakura shook her head once again. "Karin was the one responsible for all your plans' backfires. She wants to ruin you, not just save Sasuke's reputation. That's why I talked to her, to warn her that she should stop."

"Can't you think of a better lie?" I shot at her. "Why would Karin want to ruin me? She hates you not me. You were the one who stole Sasuke from her not me."

She took a deep breath. "She doesn't hate me anymore. In fact, she wants me on her side so she can easily ruin you."

"No wonder you willingly rushed to her side. She invited you in. I bet you've been waiting for a long time to be invited to the _Great Uchiha Sasuke fanclub._ "

"I only did what I did today because you were pushing me to do it. You insisted that I betrayed you so I felt angry. I swear, Hinata. I would never betray you. If I did something wrong, it would be that I kept something from you that you deserved to know."

Seeing how she looked sincere, I began warming up to her. "What did you hide from me?" I asked in a softer tone.

"The real reason why Karin is trying to ruin you is because..."

I looked at Sakura, urging her to tell me. The suspense is making me more and more curious. Sakura heaved a huge sigh like he did when she confronted Sasuke. And then she told me.

"Sasuke likes you."


	13. Operation: Get Him To Admit Part 1

**Seriously, if you don't like the story and/or SasuHina, just go away instead of bringing other people down. You, bullies, are the reason why some people have low self-esteem or self-confidence, and other times it even trigger suicide. Just fuck off and get your own lives. I never asked nor begged you to read my stories. I'm not even here to please you. These stories are here because I want to let out my frustrations. Now, just let me be because I didn't just copy this. I asked for permission to make that story my inspiration and also to change the characters. And I absolutely DID NOT copy. I've spent day and night to paraphrase and to try to have different scenarios and dialogues. I'm mostly trying to please myself, so if this story does not please you, then you're very much welcome to get out. Thank you.**

 **To the readers, again, I'm sorry. Thanks so much for the wonderful reviews, especially to guests. I do hope you'll inculde a name so I'll know how to properly address you guys to thank you one by one. :)**

 **All credits to Yves_Liong (writer from Wattpad) and Masashi Kishimoto (maker of Naruto).**

 **Warning: OOC characters**

 **-DenHime**

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 **Battling With A Hot Guy**

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 _ **15**_

"Sasuke likes you."

"Are you crazy?! What are you saying?!" I couldn't help but exclaim madly. From the sincerity of her tone earlier. I thought she might be telling the truth since our conversation started but I guess she just had to lie.

"You're the reason why we broke up, Hinata. Sasuke didn't just break up with me because he was tired of playing with my affections. It was because he did not want to lead me on, when in reality, he really like someone else. He likes you." Sakura explained not even noticing my mood is changing to anger again. When she noticed though, she again tried to convince me. "I swear I'm telling you the truth, Hinata. He really likes you. He is not the one who countered your attacks."

When she said that, I finally hit me why she was forcing me to believe her. "I get it, you're trying to convince me he likes me so I'll stop battling him, aren't you?" I suspiciously asked her. "If you think I'll stop with your _revelation,_ you're wrong. So why don't you just stop with these lies?"

She let out an exasperated sigh. "What's wrong with you? I thought you trust me as a bestfriend? Why won't you believe me? Please, Hinata, believe me. Do you think this is easy for me to tell you? Do you have any idea how hard it was for me when I found out that the guy I am in love with likes you, my bestfriend? And what's worse is that I can't tell anyone else about it."

"Then why didn't you tell me earlier?" I shot back at her.

"Didn't I tell you already? I promised him I will keep it a secret. But now I'm tired of hiding it from you." She answered. "I'm tired of seeing you get hurt of trying to protect me. Do you want to know the truth?" I raised a brow. "For a moment, I was enjoying how Karin was countering your every move. But can you really blame me? I mean, think about it. What would you do if you were in my shoes? Wouldn't you do the same thing?"

What would I do if the guy I like was in love with my bestfriend? Maybe I would feel betrayed but I don't believe I could choose to betray my bestfriend for it because it wasn't her fault that the guy I love is in love with her.

But then again, I wasn't sure either so maybe she had a point there. But I still can't believe her about Sasuke liking me, that's just the impossible of the impossibles. So I thought of a way to compromise.

"Fine, you want me to believe you right?" She nodded. "Then prove to me that it's true. Let's talk to Sasuke tomorrow."

Sakura didn't agree to that though. In fact, she instantly reacted against it. "We can't do that. Sasuke doesn't want me to say anything about his feelings for you. If we ask him about it, he'll definitely deny it."

"Then I'm sorry, Sakura. I just can't believe you if you can't show any proof." I said starting to walk ahead of her. You can't blame me. Uchiha Sasuke just **can't** like someone like me.

"Wait!" She called out. "I'll prove it to you in another way. Just give me time. I'll show you that he really does have feelings for you, even if he doesn't say it."

I raised my brow at her as I turned back to face her. "How would you do that?" I asked.

"Just follow what I ask you to do tomorrow." She answered, smiling for the first time. "And I promise you, I'm not going to make a fool out of you. If I do then you can throw away our friendship."

I know that I would be stupid if I still accepted Sakura's offer after it was already proven that she betrayed me. But somehow, I couldn't refuse after remembering all that we have been through for the past years. "Okay then. I'll give you a chance to prove that what you're saying is true. But if you don't succed then I won't even think twice about treating you as a traitor.

After that conversation, Sakura and I went home in separate ways. As soon as I entered my room, the phone rang with Ino on the other line.

 _"So what do you think about what happened earlier at lunch?"_ Ino asked as soon as I said hello.

Why does everyone seem to think what happened earlier could make me change my mind about Uchiha Sasuke? "Uhm... Am I supposed to think of anything?" I asked her back.

 _"Oh, c'mon, Hinata. Admit it. Sasuke doesn't seem that bad anymore after what Naruto said."_ She said, obviously wanting me to cut Sasuke some slack.

"He seems the same to me." I answered. "Anyway, I saw you talking happily with Sai. I thought you don't like him?" I teased her, changing the topic completely towards her.

 _"You saw us? Where?"_ She asked in confused tone.

I can't help but laugh at her reaction. She sounded like she doesn't want to be seen with Sai. "I saw you two at the cafeteria after Naruto's confession. Gaara and I were supposed to join you but you two seemed to be enjoying each other's company so we decided to leave you alone."

 _"What?! Why didn't you just join us? Sai and I are just talking about some business, nothing personal. He's going to help me out with something."_ She replied with tone of urgency.

"And what is that?" I couldn't help but be nosy. Somehow, Ino and Sai's relationship amuses me.

 _"It's a secret."_

I just let her be since it is Ino. She'll tell me when she's ready anyway. Glancing at the clock in front of me, I decided I have to go because I have a lot of homework to do. And so, Ino and I bid good bye. I ate dinner with Hanabi since Neji-niisan and father will not be home early. After dinner I buried myself in homework.

When tomorrow came, I didn't know why but I actually feel pretty good. Maybe it was because Sakura and I are temporarily back to being friends. Whatever it was, it made me arrive school earlier than usual. And there, I saw Sai and Ino together once again as they are walking down the hallway. They seemed so engrossed in their conversation that I didn't try to call Ino in fear of disturbing them.

I entered my first class after getting my book from my locker. As usual, Sakura was already in her usual seat. But unlike yesterday, today she was smiling at me again and asking me to sit beside her. Though I didn't feel very comfortable with her actions, I decided to sit beside her again. After all, I did say I was going to give her a chance.

"So here's the plan." She spoke as soon as I took my seat. "Later in the hallway, I want you to pretend you trip and fall. You're going to do that in front of Sasuke, okay?"

"What?! Why do I have to do that?!"

"Because if Sasuke realy likes you, which he does, then he'll help you up." Sakura said proudly.

With Sakura acting like there was nothing going on between us except for the fact that she had to prove Sasuke has feelings for me, I began to warm up towards her. "And how can you be sure he'll be there?" I asked, raising my brow.

She kept her proud demeanor. "Don't worry about that, I took care of it already. Just do it right after this class ends, okay?"

"Fine." I just agreed. "And if it doesn't work..."

"It'll work." She assured. "But if it doesn't, I have more plans. It's not like you're the only one good on making schemes, you know." She grinned at me.

"Yeah, sure." I mocked her as a joke and then the teacher finally arrived.

Sakura and I seemed to be back to normal as we sat through first class. She would ask me some questions about the lesson and I would answer her, just like old times.

At one time, I checked the room for Gaara, I didn't know why, maybe because I sort of missed his company. He was sitting beside Sai. And when he saw me look his way, he smirked at me. I smiled at him then turned back to the teacher so I wouldn't get in trouble again.

When the bell finally rang, Sakura practically pulled me out of my seat as I hurriedly fixed my things. She then told me that Sasuke will be walking this way any minute so I better be prepared. And that made my heart beat fast. I am actually nervous about it.

Once I caught glimpse of Sasuke and Naruto, I instantly began doing my thing. I walked a little and pretended to sprain my ankle and fell on my knee as Sasuke neared me. As I did, I couldn't help thinking.

Would he really help me?


	14. Operation: Get Him To Admit Part 2

**Omggg! Thank you so much** ** _farahb_** **wow! You're so awesome! Although, a hater kept on flaming me, your reviews brought me up so high! Ahahaha! Thank youuu! :) ❤️**

 **All credits to Yves_Liong (writer from Wattpad) and Masashi Kishimoto (maker of Naruto).**

 **Warning: OOC characters**

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 **Battling With A Hot Guy**

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 _ **16**_

When Sasuke saw me on the ground, he stopped right in front of me. I started feeling sorry for doubting Sakura from the looks Sasuke is giving me. But all of a sudden, Sasuke smirked down on me, like he is mocking me.

"How can you trip with nothing blocking your way?"

I felt my cheeks heating up as I try to stand up. "Why are you just looking at me like that when you know I tripped? Are you that insensitive?!" I yelled at him.

Some students started crowding around us, being their nosy selves. I heard some students whispering to each other. "Hinata is picking a fight with Sasuke!"

I know Sasuke heard it too but he ignored it, instead looking at me nonchalantly. "What do you want me to do, help you up?"

I balled my fist to try and control my anger. "Of course! That's what a normal person will do!"

He smirked again. "If a normal person will do that, then why didn't anyone help you?" He pointed out.

Everyone watching us laughed at what he said. It seems they are all on his side again. As usual. "Fine, whatever." I just said, knowing I can't win an argument with him anyway.

"Hey, Hinata-chan. Are you alright? Were you hurt?" Naruto emerged from behind Sasuke. Naruto approached me and lookd at me with sympathy in his eyes.

I gave him a small smile. "I'm fine, Naruto-kun. Thanks." Then I glared at Sasuke.

"Maybe we should bring Hinata-chan to the clinic." Naruto suggested.

"No, I'm fine. I just tripped, nothing serious." I said in urgency.

Naruto looked at me but I nodded at him in assurance. "You're sure?"

"Yes, thank you."

Then suddenly, Sasuke appeared in between Naruto and me. "Let's go, dobe." He said with a cold tone.

Naruto looked at me once again and smiled, I smiled back since he's really a nice guy. When the two walked away, I turned to Sakura, who is watching a few meters away, and gave her a disappointed expression before I started walking away. As expected, Sakura tried to catch up to me as I'm walking to the girls' comfort room and she immediately apologized. "I'm really sorry for what happened, Hinata-chan."

I turned to her with an angry expression. "I told you it wouldn't work, didn't I?" I really hate it when I get embarrassed in front of so many people.

"I'm really sorry, Hinata! Please give me another chance. I should have known he would act so cruelly because he doesn't want you to know how he really feels about you. But look at the bright side, he looks jealous when Naruto approached you."

I'm starting to get suspicious of Sakura again. "Why wouldn't he want me to know about it? And Sasuke definitely doesn't not look jealous."

She shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe he just wants it that way." She replied simply. "Anyway, I thought of another plan to get him to reveal his feelings for you. I'm sure it will work this time. I think the only mistake of the plan earlier was it's too obvious."

I rolled my eyes at her. "If you're planning to push me down the stairs or to get me hit by the car, forget it."

"Are you insane?! Why would I do that to my bestfriend?!" She exclaimed in a bewildered expression.

"Then what's worse that tripping on the floor?" I raised my brow at her.

She smiled mischievously. Then and there I know she's planning something bad. That smirk of hers screams evil, just like mine. "We'll let Sasuke see you getting bullied by Karin."

My eyes widened. "No way!" If there is something I really want to avoid right now, it would be an encounter with Sasuke's obsessed fans. Especially, Uzumaki Karin. She is the worst of the worst. "Forget it, Sakura. I'm so not doing that."

She frowned. "Why not?"

Suddenly, we heard the sound of the flush from the farthest stall. Sakura and I looked at each other and knew that we both thought the same thing. If that person is in any way associated with Karin or if it's Karin herself, we are doomed.

Seeing how there are two of us and only one of her, Sakura and I crept towards the door, ready to pounce at her (whoever she is), as soon as she got out of there. But when the door opened, we both froze upon seeing Ino walk out of the cubicle with a smile.

"Hey!" She greeted me, having seen me first. Then she saw Sakura and noticed how hilarious we look with our arms stretched like we are going to attack her. "What are you, guys, doing?" She asked, looking from me to Sakura then back to me.

Sakura and I put our hands down immediately. "We thought you were Karin." I answered.

"Oh." She remarked, laughing as she realized the situation. "And I thought you two suddenly had the urge to kill me."

We all laughed at that. But then Ino once again turned to Sakura and she seemed confused. Probably because of what happened yesterday so Sakura decided to clear that up. "What happened yesterday was just an act. And I'm really sorry if I hurt you."

Ino didn't accept her apology and instead raised a brow. "That was an act?" She asked sarcastically. "If you ask me, this looks more like an act to me than what you did yesterday. What exactly do you want to achieve from betraying Hinata and then going back to her side?" She even pushed to mock Sakura.

"Ino-chan, it's alright. Sakura-chan is not doing anything wrong." I defended Sakura.

But Ino wouldn't back down as she looked at Sakura suspiciously then back to me. "Are you crazy? How can you still accept her after what she did to you?" She exclaimed in disbelief. "If you need a friend to be with, you can just stay with me, Hinata-chan. Why do you have to believe a good-for-nothing friend like her?"

"Yesterday you were saying we should value our friendship. So what's up with you trying to break us apart now?" Sakura said in annoyance. "And what gives you the right to judge me? Have you known me as long as Hinata does?"

Ino found that amusing though. "I don't need to know you long enough to see right through your selfish side." She shot back at Sakura. "And even if you are just trying to prove Hinata that Sasuke likes her, shouldn't you think first what's going to happen to Hinata? Hasn't it even occur to you that Hinata might get hurt in an encounter with Karin?!" Ino angrily stated.

Sakura shook her head. "She's not going to get hurt because Sasuke will come to save her." She said firmly.

"Oh, yeah? How can you guarantee that? Do you think Sasuke will listen to his ex?" Ino answered back. Then she turned to me. "Listen to me, Hinata. She's just setting you up. She probably wants you to get hurt."

A part of me actually agreed with Ino. I really wasn't sure whether what Sakura is doing is just a scheme she and Karin planned together. But then a bigger part of me wanted to give Sakura a chance. She is my bestfriend for so long so how can I not give her a chance? "I'm sorry, Ino-chan but I'm going to follow Sakura for now." I told her, causing Sakura to smile victoriously and Ino to show a disappointed frown.

"Fine then. Go ahead and do what you want." Ino finally said, giving Sakura one last glare before she starts walking towards the door. "Just don't say I didn't warn you."

She seemed to be mad at me at that point so I decided to follow her and try to explain why I chose my decision. And so, as the door closed and Ino was gone, I faced Sakura with an apologetic expression. "I'm sorry but I need to talk to Ino-chan right now. I'll just see you later, okay?" I said, darting towards the door.

I didn't even wait for her answer. I left the girls' comfort room and attempted to catch up with Ino. But most of the times I'm really unlucky, as I was half-running, I bumped into someone whose organizer dropped on the floor with its inserted papers starting to scatter around. I instantly bent down and picked them up, hoping to help the person but to my surprise, the person did not even bend over to pick her own papers up. It was like she was expecting me to pick them all myself.

I gazed up to see who the person might be and when I did, my jaw dropped. It was none other than Uzumaki Karin, and boy did she look mad. It looked like Sakura's plan had gone way ahead of schedule.

I just hope my savior would come in time.


	15. Confession

**All credits to Yves_Liong (writer from Wattpad) and Masashi Kishimoto (maker of Naruto).**

 **Warning: OOC characters**

 **-DenHime**

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 **Battling With A Hot Guy**

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 _ **17**_

As Karin looked down at me with her glasses, I could already sense trouble brewing in. I stood up from my bent position and began to face her without uttering a word.

"Thanks." She said icily as she took her organizer from my hands. I wanted to react but chose not to since I want to avoid fighting her. In fact I was about to walk away when she suddenly grabbed my wrist and said, "where are you going? I still have something to say to you."

I stopped and waited for her to get it over with. "What is it?"

She smirked evilly at me. "I was just wondering. How does it feel to lose your bestfriend?" She asked in a mocking tone. "I didn't really expect Sakura to listen to me yesterday. I mean, the other day she was actually trying to threaten me about hurting you and then the next day, she turned on you."

I know what she is doing. Karin is taunting me but since she proved that Sakura was really trying to protect me, that was all I really needed to hear. I suddenly felt confidence surging in. "I don't know, Karin. Maybe you can tell me." I replied her mockingly too. "Or maybe not. Because you don't have any real friends, right?"

I watched her clenched her fists. "Are you summoning me into a fight?"

I let out a forced laugh. "Me? Of course not. In fact, I didn't mean for that to hurt you. Did that hurt you? I'm so sorry."

I know she would definitely get mad and sure enough, she pushed me hard in response. "You think you're so great, do you?" She remarked angrily then she raised her arm readying to hit me but as I close my eyes, I didn't feel anything.

I opened my eyes and saw a hand from behind me suddenly appeared and now grabbing her hand that's why it did not reach me. The first name that came into my mind when I saw the hand was Uchiha Sasuke. I mean, who else would save me?

However, when I turned behind me, I just felt a bit disappointed to see someone else. It was Gaara, that was why I was only disappointed for a little bit. He gave me a slight smile as I looked at him, and then turned back to Karin with a serious expression.

"Let go of my hand." Karin ordered in a calm manner, though her eyes are growing scarier. "This does not concern you."

"No." Gaara replied. Then he turned to me again. "Get out of here."

Any other girl would have probably said no because she wouldn't want the guy she likes to be involved in a fight she started but the thing is, I am not just any other girl, so as soon as he told me to go, I did. I turned around and walked away despite the fact that Karin was yelling for me.

Then I caught sight of Sakura with Sasuke and Naruto. She probably called them as soon as she saw my encounter with Karin. But I did not know what she told them. It definitely does not make Sasuke look too happy. In fact, he looked pissed off.

Once the four of us came face-to-face, Sakura grabbed me on my shoulders with worried look on her face. "What happened? How did you get yourself out of Karin's hands?" She asked.

"Gaara-kun came. He's the one dealing with Karin right now." I answered. And I could have sworn Sasuke's expression turn from being pissed to upset but it was only just a second.

Sakura frowned. "How? I mean, can he do that?"

I, of course, knows what she is talking about. It was a given fact that Karin is unstoppable unless it was Sasuke himself who would stop her. But before I could answer Sakura, Sasuke suddenly moved past me and headed towards where I came from. Naruto looked at me with worry but soon followed Sasuke who looked pissed again.

"What is he going to do?" I asked Sakura in a whisper, not wanting to let Sasuke hear me.

Sakura shrugged but looked curious as well. "I don't know. Let's go and see." She said and followed the two so I tailed behind her.

As we follow Sasuke, I realized he is approaching Karin. And seeing that, I couldn't help but wonder. Is he going to argue with Karin? Or maybe Gaara?

When Sasuke reached Karin, she instantly stopped shouting at Gaara and turned to Sasuke. "Sasuke-kun!" She exclaimed in surprise.

I expected him to ignore her greeting and just pull her away from Gaara. Another of my speculations was that he's going to punch Gaara. After all, he is pissed right? Unfortunately, he did neither. Instead, he put on his stoic expression.

"Karin." He started. "You like me, don't you?"

When he said that, I really want to say he's so full of himself but decided against it since they might think I'm putting my nose where it doesn't belong so I just shut up. I turned to Sasuke, Karin and Gaara again, and saw Karin blushing now, trying to hide herself in her glasses and red hair. It was really ironic that she acts so tough in front of everyone yet she looks like a lovesick puppy in front of Sasuke.

"Then you'll listen to what I say, right?" Sasuke continued. When Karin nodded, he placed his hand on Karin's, which was positioned like she's going to hit Gaara. "Put your hand down."

It is amazing, really, how easily Karin obeyed Sasuke without hesitation. Once Karin put her hand down, she smiled at him. "Do I get a reward for obeying you?" She spoke flirtatiously. I snorted in disgust.

"You want something in return, huh?" Sasuke answered, smirking in the process.

"Of course, I think I deserve one." She smiled brightly at him.

Sasuke looked behind him, probably checking who were present around him. And I didn't know why but when he saw me, I saw a mischievous glint in his eyes and he smirked even more. I assume he is planning another prank that might involve me. "Okay then, I'll give you a reward." He said as he turn to Karin again. "I'm going to tell you the truth about my break-up with Sakura."

"What?! Teme!" Naruto suddenly exclaimed but Sasuke nodded his head at his bestfriend to show him that it was alright.

"Karin, do you know that there's a girl behind our break-up?" Sasuke continued, moving closer to Karin. "And do you want to know who she is?"

From the way Sasuke moved closer to Karin, it seems he is talking about her. And because of that she looked pretty confident as she answer him. "Why don't you describe her."

Sasuke smirked. "Well, she's really smart, and very pretty. Honestly, for me she is prettier than the rest of the girls in this school." He said confidently. "There's no one who thinks of me the way she does."

As Sasuke said each description, Karin smiled even wider. Why wouldn't she, when every words points at her. I don't know why but my heart suddenly started beating faster. "Go on." Karin urged him.

"What else can I say about her? She's near to me right now." He said, closing in even more as he almost whisper at Karin's ear.

That was all I could take. I think I'm going to vomit at the flirting. And so, before I could move my legs backwards, Sakura was able to grab my hand and stop me.

"Don't go just yet. I think he's going to say it now." She whispered to me.

I decided to listen to Sakura and stay put to find out whose name Sasuke is going to say which obviously is Uzumaki Karin.

I took a glance at Gaara who moved aside so Sasuke and Karin would get all the attention, and I could tell that he wasn't enjoying the show either. So when I really couldn't take it, I turned around and started walking away but just as when I did, Sasuke suddenly said something unbelievable.

"The girl I really like is Hyuuga Hinata."


	16. Curiousity and Jealousy

**All credits to Yves_Liong (writer from Wattpad) and Masashi Kishimoto (maker of Naruto).**

 **Warning: OOC characters**

 **-DenHime**

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 **Battling With A Hot Guy**

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 ** _18_**

Everyone's eyes turned to me upon hearing what Sasuke said while I froze where I was standing. Somehow, because of that, I finally realized why Sasuke had that glint in his eyes earlier. He wants me to be in this situation where I couldn't think of what to say or do. I do not believe that he likes me even if he said so himself. Because let's face it, why and how on earth would heartthrob Uchiha Sasuke like plain Hyuuga Hinata? I know he's just trying to mess with me.

Sure enough, his plan worked. I really don't know how and what to respond to Sasuke's **_confession_**. I absolutely cannot react happily because that would make me look like I actually want him to like me. Yet I couldn't act mad either because Karin and her troops are present. Luckily, Gaara seemed to sense my problem and came to my aid.

"What's your point in saying that?" He asked, turning to Sasuke with a not-so-happy expression plastered on his face. Sasuke shrugged probably thinking Gaara isn't serious. "No, seriously, Uchiha. I don't see why you had to say it in front of so many students."

Upon hearing the seriousness in Gaara's voice, Sasuke too, turned serious. "What's wrong with finally revealing that I like Hinata?" He asked Gaara, like daring him to do or say something.

"Actually, there's nothing wrong with confessing to someone if you really mean it." Gaara shot back at him.

Obviously, that really got to Sasuke because it feels like a dark aura is emanating from him but so is Gaara. "Who are you to judge me? How can you be sure that I don't mean it?" It doesn't sound like a question though because of how deadly his tone sounds.

Knowing that Gaara will only get in trouble more but I do not want him to be any longer, so I decided to answer instead. "You're right, he may not be sure if you mean it or not. But I do. I know you're lying." I remarked bravely, despite the fact that everyone's eyes are still on me. "You're waiting for my reaction, right? So here it is. I know that's not true so leave me alone because I'll hate you no matter what."

I can say that I'm not the type of person who doesn't talk bad to or about other people. I know I am polite and I have manners. I always consider other people's feelings before I say something to them. But somehow I couldn't stop myself from saying those words to him. Knowing that everyone must have negative reactions since they're fans of Sasuke, I grabbed Gaara and pulled him out of there not giving everyone time to react from what I said. I looked back one last time to Sasuke, and I don't know why but he kinda looked disappointed. Then I looked forward to continue pulling Gaara somewhere. I couldn't help but also think about how Gaara and Sasuke exchange banters and deadly glares to each other. And it is because of me. What am I thinking? The Uchiha just wants to mess with me. I shook my head to clear that thought.

When we reached a deserted classroom, I walked inside and Gaara followed me. I took my seat and looked at him with seriousness. "Do I sound too harsh towards Sasuke?"

One of the things I like about Gaara is that he's always honest to me. "You were. That would probably leave a scar on him. But he definitely deserve that because he wants you to get in trouble with his fangirls."

"Yeah, he probably wants me to be attacked by his fanclub since they're present there." I agreed, finally smiling up to him. "Thank you for helping me."

He smiled back at me although it was just a small smile. "Of course I have to. I promised not to doubt you anymore, didn't I? And I also want to defend you from now on." He stared at me as I stared back.

I felt my cheeks started heating up at the intensity of his staring but then Gaara's phone suddenly rings. He looks like he's hesitating to answer it so I insisted, trying to shake off the blush. "Pick it up, it might be important."

He nodded and took his cellphone from his pocket." Hello?" He answered the caller, sounding a bit irritated. "What? Why?"

As Gaara talked I'm just sitting there wondering who could it be so I mouthed the words at him, "Who is it?"

But by the time I did, the conversation is finished so Gaara put his phone back to his pocket and answered me. "It's Sai. He wants me to go to the cafeteria right now for something urgent."

I checked my watch and frowned at him. "Don't we have class which started three minutes ago?" I asked, standing up.

"Yeah, but we're late anyway so why don't we just skip class and be free from punishment?" He suggested with a smirk.

"But if we get caught, we'll be in bigger trouble." I pointed out as I head out of the room. Then I turned to him. "So are you coming with me or not?"

He nodded. "Wait, I'll just tell Sai that I'll meet him during lunch instead."

After a short phone call, Gaara gently grabbed my hand and we started walking to class. When we got to class he let my hand go and we were scolded by our teacher, and were asked to stand at the back of the room for the rest of the period. But it didn't really feel like a punishment because Gaara keeps on joking about the teacher's looks. I tried to hold back my laughter so by the end of the period, I finaly started giggling as the teacher went out of the room.

"You know what, I actually thought you're a serious type." I said with a smile.

He smirked. "I am a serious type, when I have to be. Why? Do you like me better when I'm serious?"

My eyes slightly widened as I started feeling the blush creeping in my cheeks again. I rememdered how coldly he treated me during our first few meetings. So I shook my head not wanting him to be like that to me again and also to shake the blush away. "You're better this way." I answered, patting him in his shoulder lightly. "So I guess you're meeting Sai now, right?"

He nodded. "Come with me?"

"No, thanks. I don't want to intrude in something personal." I answered. "Besides I have to reconcile with Sakura since I doubted her."

"Please?" He insisted. "You can just talk to Sakura on the phone while I can only talk to you in school."

I don't know why but I really find him cute even if he's actually handsome not just cute. "Okay then. You are so lucky I'm easy to persuade." He smirked at me and then we headed towards the cafeteria. We easily spotted Sai and Ino when we got there.

"What was the urgent stuff you were talking about earlier?" Gaara asked Sai as he and I sat down across from them.

Ino seems surprised to see me but then her surprise turned to worry. "Hinata-chan, what happened earlier? Do you believe what Sasuke said?" She asked.

I shook my head. "No, of course not. Wait a minute, you're not mad at me?" I asked back, recalling what happened in the girls' comfort room earlier. "I was going to catch up with you when you ran out of the comfort room but I ended up bumping into Karin."

"Yeah, I saw everything. While I walk away from there, I noticed the people going to the opposite direction so I asked what the commotion was all about then checked for myself." She explained. "But no, I wasn't mad at you, I was just trying to make you see my point."

Sai suddenly nudged Ino causing her to look at him questioningly. When she fully turned to him, she seemed to understood what Sai was trying to imply because she smiled and nodded at him before she faced me again.

"You haven't told me what the urgent matter is yet." Gaara suddenly spoke.

Sai then looked at his watch and stood up frantically. "Oh, yeah! I forgot I need to do my Physics assignment but Ino needs help with her math. So can you help her instead?"

I am already sure that something is up when Sai said that because Ino is smart and she's really good at every subjects so I tried my luck. "I'll help her then." Then they shared a look and suddenly Sai turned to me.

"No, because I need your help in Physics so come on." He remarked pulling me away from the table as he waved at Ino and Gaara. "We'll see you later!"

Gaara even gave me a look of confusion but then nodded at me so I smiled at him then Sai lead me somewhere else. When I'm sure we're out of sight, I decided to ask what's going on. "Okay, what's up with that?" I looked at him suspiciously. When he grinned creepily and sheepishly, I finally put the pieces together. "You're setting Ino up with Gaara!"

He didn't answer or give any reaction but he doesn't need to because it is obvious now. But I feel myself a little bit disappointed because I admit to myself that I'm starting to like Gaara. So as we walk, I decided to ask him.

"Why? I thought you like Ino. Why are you setting her up with another guy?"

"Because I can't force her to like me, so I might as well just make her happy." He replied.

I admire Sai for what he did even if it will hurt him. "Wow, that's so sweet of you." I couldn't help blurting out.

He smiled proudly. "You know, Sasuke is a sweet guy too." He suddenly said.

I rolled my eyes at him. "Oh, c'mon, if he's a sweet guy then all of the other guys are angels. He's always bothering me and I just hate it."

"Well... Has it ever occurred to you that he's doing that so you'll notice him?"

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 ** _19_**

Upon hearing Sai's words, I want to react by saying Sasuke couldn't possibly be looking for attention from me when everyone, especially his fangirls, are already giving him that. But I stopped myself, not wanting to start an argument with Sai. So I decided to say something else. "You seem to know Sasuke well."

He looks like he took that as a compliment. "Cool guys know each other well." He answered with a smirk.

That actually sounded conceited if Sasuke is the one who said that but since it's Sai, it just sounds like he's trying to make me laugh even though I know he means it.

"Sai, Hinata."

Sai and I turned around in surprise that Gaara suddenly appeared. I looked at Sai questioningly and so he decided to put our curiosity into words. "What are you doing here? Where's Ino?" Sai asked Gaara.

"Well, it turns out she knows more about Calculus than I do so I got out of there before I humiliate myself any further." That actually sounds funny.

"Wait, are you saying you left Ino alone?" Sai asked not sounding pleased at all.

"She said it's okay for me to leave since I couldn't help her." Gaara replied. "I invited her to go find you two but she refused, saying she'll just try to figure out her calculus by herself."

Sai didn't even say good bye and suddenly rushed towards the cafeteria. Of course it's obvious that he's concerned about Ino but Gaara didn't say or ask anything.

After lunch we went back to class together and talked about different things until the teacher arrived. The class went by smoothly with Gaara's occasional drawings again. When the dismissal bell rang, I gathered my things and was about to stand up when Gaara stopped me.

I looked at him with raised brow. "Gaara?"

"Let me carry your books." He said and didn't wait for my reply, instead he took my books from my arms. "Let's go." Then he said motioning for me to head out first.

Even though a bit confused, but admittedly swooning, I just went out until he's walking beside me towards my locker. After putting the books I won't need, I turned to him and curiously looked at him. "I didn't know you are such a perfect gentleman." I joked as I chuckled a bit.

"The books are heavy so I might as well help you." He smirked. Then he turned serious so I got even more curious. "Anyway, is it okay for me to ask for your number?"

I raised a brow again. "That's it? Here I thought you were going to say something serious." I took out a piece of paper from the notebook I'm carrying and scribbled my number in it. "Here you go."

I handed it to him and he smirked when he took it. Then he bid good bye, turning away from me and lazily raised his hand as he walk way. I giggled at his actions. I also decided to look for Sakura and try to patch things up with her.

As I walk along the hallway, I noticed people putting up pink posters on the walls. That was when it hit me. Tomorrow is Valentine's day. And based on my experience, it is one of the most celebrated events in our school. It's always exciting what the guys will do for the girls they like. The guys can do the serenading or whatever they think of even if classes are ongoing because the teachers allow disruptions in class for the special event, as long as it's for the name of **LOVE**.

I shrugged those thoughts away as I neared Sakura's locker. I have to finish this first before I start thinking of other things.

"Hey." I greeted as Sakura closes her locker door.

"Hey." She greeted back as she faced me.

"I'm sorry for not believing you when you said you weren't siding with Karin. I guess I was just too frustrated with all my plans backfiring at me." I said in my most sincere tone. "I hope you can forgive me."

Sakura-chan smiled. "Of course I forgive you! But forgive me too, okay? I know I should have tried harder to convince you about Karin. But you know me, I get mad easily." She admitted. "I should have told you about Sasuke too but... I was afraid that if I do that, you might start liking him back..."

I smiled back at her. "Are you crazy? Why would I start liking my bestfriend's ex-boyfriend? Especially when he only dated you because you like him. He's still a total jerk in my eyes and that wouldn't change even if he told me he liked me." I responded honestly. "So are we back to being bestfriends?"

"What?" She replied chuckling. "We never stopped being bestfriends! But I have a request for you." She paused to see whether I'd accept and so I nodded for her to go on. "Now that I've told you about Sasuke, can we stop talking about him? At least not unless you start liking him."

"I told you, didn't I? I'm never going to like a jerk. Besides, I thought you don't want me to like him?"

She shook her head. "You're right, I don't but if it can't be helped, I guess I can accept it for you and your happiness." She answered then I rolled my eyes but she slapped my arm but not hard.

"Fine." I replied just to end the matter.

After that, things are normal between us again. "So I see you're getting a bit too close with Sabaku Gaara." She said teasingly as we walk out of school. "What do you think? Will he do something for you tomorrow?"

I feel my cheeks heating up as I heard that. Will Gaara really do something for me tomorrow? What am I thinking? We're just friends so why would he? I shouldn't expect anything. "No, it's nothing like that. Gaara is just a good friend. What about you and Naruto-kun? Are you starting to go out with him?" I asked, nudging her to tease her too.

Now it's her turn to feel embarrassed and I chuckled at her reaction. "T-That's not true! He just said he likes me to protect Sasuke's secret. Besides, I just want to stay single for now." She said with a smile. I giggled knowing she's shy when she stutter ehich is very rare.

"Well, this is where we have to separate ways so I'll just see you tomorrow." I said.

"Okay! See you tomorrow!" She chirped in reply and we waved at each other then started walking towards our own ways.

Everything felt so good now that I have my bestfriend back and gaining a new friend. What added more to my high spirits is the excitement I feel for tomorrow. Even if I'm not that girly, I am still a girl. I can't help but hope that someone will give me something tomorrow. Will it be Sasuke or Gaara?

I shook my head violently. Gaara wouldn't, and especially _not_ Sasuke. When I got home I received a message that made me smile.

 **[ _Gaara_ : Hey, this is Gaara. I forgot to give you my number so I sent you a message to let you know.]**

I replied him asking in a joke if that's really the only reason for him to send me a message.

It took a minute for him to reply.

 **[ _Gaara_ : Actually, no. I want to ask you if a pink rose is inappropriate to give to a girl I like but doesn't seem to know me well.]**

When I read that, I already knew it wasn't me because he said the girl didn't know him. And so, I opted to ask who it is. But he might think I'm too nosy so I just replied that if the girl doesn't know him then why don't he just give him a yellow rose.

 **[ _Gaara_ : Are you mad?]**

I didn't know I sounded mad in my message but I wasn't really angry. I was just being rational about it. Maybe it was because I added an exclamation point in my text.

 **[No. Why would I be mad? I'm not.]**

I replied. And somehow, I kinda don't want to receive a reply from him now.

 **[ _Gaara_ : Oh, okay then. Thanks for your help. See you tomorrow then.]**

Seeing that message made me feel a bit annoyed. I don't know why, I just do. One thing is for sure though, I wouldn't be the one who will receive a rose from Gaara. So much for getting a Valentine this year.


	17. Nightmare Valentine's

**All credits to Yves_Liong (writer from Wattpad) and Masashi Kishimoto (maker of Naruto).**

 **Warning: OOC characters**

 **-DenHime**

* * *

 **Battling With A Hot Guy**

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 _ **20**_

When I woke up the next morning, I didn't feel that excited anymore. What was I to be excited for, when there was nothing going to happen like the past Valentine's I had. And so, I got out of bed and lazily got ready for school. In fact, I wasn't even worried that I'd be late because the teachers are going to be lenient today.

Despite my slumping movement, I was able to reach school on time. When I got to my locker, there was a yellow rose sticking out of one of the vent holes. Feeling very excited in finding out who could it be from, my heart started beating wildly. It was a rose, after all, though it was just a symbol of friendship. I did tell Gaara to give a yellow rose to the girl he likes, right?

Ending my suspense, I took the rose from the vent and check the tag. Unfortunately, it wasn't supposed to be mine. It's for a girl named Dei from Sasori. I raised my brow. If I remember correctly, Sasori is our sempai, he's already senior but I'm not familiar with the girl's name. He probably misplaced the rose, thinking my locker is Dei's. I don't know what to do with it so I just held into it.

Luckily, a girl arrived at the locker next to mine. Upon opening her locker, I noticed that the decorated name posted in its door is Iwa Dei, talk about luck. I instantly faced her with a smile. "Hi! You're Dei, right?"

I tried to hide the fact that I'm really awed at how pretty she is. Her golden locks reached past her shoulders and one eye is hidden by her bangs. I couldn't help but think she looks like Ino. She smiled back at me. "Yes, that's me. Why?" She replied in a very soft voice.

"I think this belongs to you." I said as I hand the rose to her. "I guess the person thought my locker was yours."

"Oh, thank you." She remarked gratefully as she checked who it was from. "Wow, it's from Sasori. Thank you so much for giving this back to me."

"You're welcome." I answered and we smiled at each other. With that, she shut her locker and started walking away. I disappointedly headed to my first class. Reaching the room, there it is again, a yellow rose on top of my desk. Seeing Sakura is already there, I decided to ask her who placed it there.

"Did you see who put this on my table?" I asked her as I took my seat.

She shook her head but was smiling mischievously. "Check it for yourself."

I picked it up and checked the tag, my heart is beating wildly again. But once again, it isn't from Gaara. It's from Sakura.

"Happy Valentine's Day!" She greeted happily.

"Thanks!" I said, giving her a hug.

"I have to be the first one who gives you a rose since I'm the bestfriend." She said cheekily.

I raised my eyebrow at her. "What makes you think I'm going to get a rose soon?"

She shrugged with a playful smile. "I don't know but my instinct tells me you're going to get more than the rose I gave you."

"Yeah... Total humiliation and disappointment." I mumbled as I took my notebook out, seeing the teacher entering the room.

Gaara arrived late for class but since it's Valentine's day, the teacher didn't scold him, in fact, she even smiled at Gaara, understanding why he's late. That made me feel even worse, thinking he is late because he gave the rose to the girl he was talking about last night.

While the teacher continued discussing, the door suddenly opened. And as it did, a senior which I known to be Nagato, appeared with a guitar strapped around his shoulders and a boquet of different colors of tulips and a medium-sized teddy bear on his hand.

When the teacher saw him, she tried to hide her smile as she asked him. "What can we do for you?"

Nagato flashed her a heart-warming smile then turned to the girl sitting in front of Gaara. Of course, we all know her, she's Konan. "I came to give my present to the person I want to be my valentine." He remarked, making a lot of girls in our class squeal.

Konan tried to act as if she wasn't touched by Nagato's sweetness. She simply raised her eyebrow at him as she waited for him to go on with his presentation.

Nagato placed the flowers and teddy bear in between his arm and underarm so it won't fall, and then started playing his guitar. As he started singing, I couldn't help but feel myself swoon too. He does have a beautiful voice. And it is evident that Konan is trying very hard to hide her delight. She's just smiling as Nagato approach her but I could see that she is impressed.

Once Nagato is finished singing, he knelt down in front of Konan and stretch his left hand to give her the flowers and the bear.

"Will you be my valentine, Konan?" He asked in a husky voice.

Every girl in our class squealed, even Sakura-chan, while Konan receiveds the gifts and she nodded as she smiled widely. Nagato asked the teacher for permission to take her out of the room for a few minutes, and the teacher agreed. As soon as the two were out, the teacher continued discussing.

When lunch period came, Ino rushed towards us, in our table in the cafeteria. She has a huge smile on her face. "How's your Valentine's?" Then she looked at me. "Did Sasuke do something for you yet?"

Sakura and I looked at each other at the mention of Sasuke's name. We agreed not to talk about him anymore but Ino didn't know it so I let it go and answered her. "No, he didn't and I'm noy expectin him to."

Sakura took the chance to change the topic. "What about you, Ino? Did Sai give you anything yet?"

She shook her head. "Nothing." She replied. "I think he accepted the fact that I like his bestfriend more than him."

"You mean you like Gaara?" Sakura exclaimed in surprise. "But I thought Gaara likes Hinata?"

"No, he doesn't!" I answered back, slapping her arm slightly not wanting to hurt Ino, especially since it is not true. "Gaara likes someone else. He even asked me last night if pink rose is okay to give to the girl he likes."

Ino suddenly moved her head closer to me with interest in her eyes. "Who is it? Did he tell you?"

I shook my head. "No but I'm sure it's not me." I replied and sipped from my iced tea to calm myself. "Anyway we'll find out soon since we'll see him giving the rose."

Sakura who I noticed is focused on the cafeteria door as we were talking, suddenly spoke. "Looks like we're going to find out sooner than you think." She said, gesturing for us to look at the doorway of the cafeteria.

There Gaara stood holding not only a rose but a boquet of pink rose on his right hand and she seems like he's looking for someone. Ino suddenly became excited.

"Omg! That means the girl is right here!" She exclaimed not taking her eyes off of Gaara.

"I think he's looking for Hinata." Sakura suddenly said, also following Gaara's actions. "Stand up, Hinata, so he can see you."

My eyes widened at Sakura's suggestion. "Are you serious? I'm not that pathetic. It's not me who's going to receive his flowers." Even though I felt a pang of hurt, I insisted that I'm not the one he likes.

"If you're not going to stand, then I will." Sakura said.

Ino's forehead furrowed. "If you stand, he won't see Hinata. Besides, how can you be sure he's really looking for Hinata?" Ino asked before I could ask it myself.

Sakura grinned mischievously. "If I stand up, Gaara would know where Hinata is because he knows Hinata always spends her lunch with me, mostly. And I'm not actually sure but there's no harm in trying, right? If he sees me and doesn't approach us, it means he's looking for someone else."

"But it will look awkward if you just stand up without any reason." I pointed out, hoping she'll just drop it.

"That's smiple, I'll throw my emoty coke can." She answered and went to throw her empty can, since the trash bin is just near us. And sure enough, when she's walking back to our table, Gaara caught sight of her and started walking over to our place.

As Gaara approached, I was now sure that it's me whom he's going to receive those flowers. Who else would he give it to? He didn't seem like he fancied Ino yesterday. And he did say Sakura is a bad friend a few days ago.

But as he neared us, he suddenly turned towards Ino and gave her the roses.

"Happy Valentine's Day."

* * *

 ** _21_**

I knew that jealousy shouldn't grow inside me as I watched Gaara give Ino those roses, especially since I knew that Ino really likes Gaara. She deserve those roses. I just couldn't help but be jealous of Ino. And so, I think getting out of there would be my best option.

"I have to go." I only told Sakura so as not to disturb Gaara and Ino.. I didn't even wait for her to reply and just slipped away. As I was walking away, I took my cellphone out of my pocket and sent Sakura a mesage to tell her I need to do a forgotten assignement. I know it's a lame excuse but it's all I could think of right now.

As soon as I got out of the cafeteria, I didn't even know where to go. My next class is after 30 minutes. Maybe I could just hang out in the library. But I decided to just go outside and get fresh air. As I was heading out, I saw Naruto and Kiba approaching me, surprisngly, he's not with Sasuke. Curiosity entered my mind and I'm glad because I could temporarily forget about Gaara and Ino. As they reach me, they both gave me a huge grin which doesn't seem so trustworthy right now, even if they are my friends.

"Hey, Hinata-chan!" Naruto greeted me.

"Are you busy right now?" Kiba asked.

I looked at Naruto then to Kiba. "Not really. Why?"

"We're just wondering if maybe we can talk to you privately?" Naruto asked with a blinding smile.

I giggled knowing how sunshiny Naruto is. I did once have a crush on him on 6th grade. "About what?" I asked as my head turn from Naruto to Kiba and then repeat.

"It's about Sakura."

"And Hanabi."

I knew it. I have known that Hanabi had a crush on Kiba since the first time she saw him. And as for Naruto, when we were in elementary, he always says he has a crush on Sakura. And so I sighed and nodded since I'm not going anywhere anyway. "Okay. Where do we talk?" I asked.

They looked at each other and grinned, which looks very suspicious, then they looked at me again. Naruto grabbed my left hand, while Kiba grabbed my right and they started walking so I just followed them. "Just follow us." They remarked.

We started walking towards deserted classrooms and we stopped in front of one dark classroom. "Let's go in?" Naruto initiated.

"Ladies first, Naruto." Kiba said.

Then they let go of my hands softly pushed me inside the dark room.

"W-Wait! Aren't you supposed to switch the lights on f-first?" I stuttered, feeling nervous and my suspicion returned again. What are they planning? Could they be playong a prank on me? But they're my friends! But Sasuke is also their friend! Did he ask the two to prank me?

Naruto smiled innocently. "We can't, the switch is on the ither side of the room." He answered insisting for me to enter.

"How do I know you're not going to lock me inside when I enter?"

Kiba suddenly burst out laughing. "Are you crazy, Hinata-chan? Why would we do that to you?" Kiba answered. "Alright, I'll go inside first then you follow, okay?"

Kiba assured me and then he entered while I know Naruto would follow after me. When I entered, Kiba still hasn't swicthed the lights on but since he's there I just continued walking inside. But as soon as I did, I noticed Kiba heading towards the other door and suddenly, I know what they're going to do.

I saw Naruto grinned at me as shut the door where Kiba and I entered, and then Kiba shut the other door where he went out.

"Naruto-kun! Kiba-kun! Open the door!" I exclaimed in panic, pounding the door where I entered as hard as I could. "This isn't funny!" How would they do this to me? I'm their friend! And they said they wouldn't!

Suddenly, a voice spoke from a corner of the room. "Are you that afraid of the dark?" The male voice said, making me turn around and check whose voice it is.

But since it's too dark, I just asked him. "Who are you?"

"I'm a spirit. I've been here for ten years, calling for help from the students who enter this room. But no one comes, so now I'm going to kill you all." The voice answered in a very deep, scary voice. Now I can feel goosebumps.

"Naruto-kun! Kiba-kun! Open the door! Please!" I said pounding the door again, now harder than before.

As I continued to shout and pound the door, the spirit began chuckling. At first, it's deep and scary again but as it continued, it sounds more like a chuckle I'm familiar with. I stopped pounding the door, and turned towards where I heard the voice. "Uchiha Sasuke! It's you, isn't it?" I said getting angry.

The chuckling stopped and a candle suddenly lit up, revealing Sasuke's face. "Hello." He greeted with a smirk.

"This is another one of your pranks!" I yelled. "Tell Naruto and Kiba to open the door now!" I shouted at Sasuke angrily, walking towards him.

He didn't obey my demands though. Why do I even expect? He moved the candle and lighted a small candle, then another one until a cake with three lighted candles revealed. Next, he took a chair a few meters away from him and placed it behind the cake. When he took a seat, he smiled his very rare smile at me.

"Do you like it?" He asked me, gesturing towards the cake.

I raised a brow at him. "What is it for?" I asked, although I know the answer. I just want to make sure so my expectations wouldn't be crushed again.

"It's my birthday today." He answered.

"No, it's not. You're birthday's in July." I retorted, taking a seat on a chair far from him and the cake.

He smirked at me. "Why do you know when my birthday is?"

I felt my cheeks heat up when I saw his smirk. I'm sure he's thinking I know because I like him. "Because that is the time your fangirls get even worse. What do you do to all of the gifts you receive? Throw them away or keep them in a special room or something?"

"Would you be jealous if I tell you I keep them all?" He looked at me with a glint on his eyes.

"why would I be? It's not like I'm in love you." I responded instantly.

He stood up from his seat. "I didn't say you were in love me. I'm just sayin I get more gifts than you. But you know, guilty minds needs no accusers." He said walking over towards me.

"Why are you passing your feelings to me? You're the one who likes me." I answered, standing up too. "You even confessed in front of Karin and the whole student body."

He shook his head. "I can't believe you bought that. I was just teasing Karin. I like her, can't you tell?"

"So you're just trying to make my life even more miserable, huh?" I asked angrily. "You're such an asshole."

Being the insensitive person that he is, he even smirked at what I said. "Of course. You've been saying that for a long time now." He answered simply like it didn't bother him at all.

"And yet you don't even try to change." He shrugged and kept smirking. It seems no matter what I say, nothing can scar him. How can a person be this way? Is he _that_ insensitive? "What do you really want to accomplish by all these pranks?"

He didn't say anything, even his expression didn't change. I decided that it's useless to talk to him.

"You know what? Forget it. I'm just going to leave." I finally said and headed towards the door. "Naruto-kun! Kiba-kun! Open the door now." I ordered as I try the knob. It still wouldn't open.

Suddenly, Sasuke's phone started ringing but I continued to pound on the door as he talk to the caller. But I heard Naruto's name so maybe he's going to tell Naruto and Kiba to open the door.

Just when I was about to complain to him, he went ahead of me and spoke. "Naruto said they can't open the door. He thinks it's jammed." He said nonchalantly.

"What?!" I exclaimed. "You're kidding, right?"

He just shrugged and went to sit beside the table where the cake is. "I guess you'll be spending your Valentine's with me." Then he smirked at me


	18. Unwanted Gifts

**Yep! The flames really won't stop. Alright, fine. Keep them coming. You can't do anything more than that. What's wrong with being a virgin anyway? Because you keep telling me, _"Kill yourself, virgin."_ I think being a virgin is better than hoeing yourself. Anyway, I'll kill myself if you do the honor of going first. ;)**

 **These haters seriously should just get their own lives. Ugh. And I should really stop giving a fuck, eh? Sorry!**

 **All credits to Yves_Liong (writer from Wattpad) and Masashi Kishimoto (maker of NARUTO).**

 **Warning: OOC Characters**

 **For** ** _Gangnam Style X3 ,_ hiii! Thank you for the wonderful review! I can feel the confusion. Hehe. Anyway, I'm also not a fan of GaaIno. But I do hope you still continue to read and find out what will happen. And as for a love triangle... Hm... We will see! X3 I hope this chapter will make you happy! ❤️**

 **Love,**

 **DenHime💙**

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 **Battling With A Hot Guy**

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 _ **22**_

It's official. I am cursed this Valentine's Day. I just realized that since this day began, I had nothing but dismay. And, okay, so maybe I was wishing for at least someone to do something romantic for me on this day. So why do I have to be locked in this creepy room with this egoistic jerk? I'm still not forgetting my two friends who locked me up in here. Even if Sasuke put them up to this, they will see why they shouldn't mess with me.

"Are you just going to sit there?" Sasuke asked, disturbing my thoughts as I sit beside the door. "I'm going to slice the cake. Don't you want one?"

I didn't budge from where I am. "I don't like taking things that aren't mine. Didn't you say it's Karin whom you like? Then that cake must be for her." I remarked, taking out my phone to send a message to Sakura. I told her about the situation that I am in and asked her to tell Naruto and Kiba that they'll pay for this when I got out.

"Yeah, you're right. This cake is for her. But I can't give this to her anymore since I'm stuck here with you so might as well just eat it." He said in reply, slicing the cake in equal parts. "Are you sure you don't like some? It's a cheesecake."

I stared at Sasuke dumbfoundedly. I love cheesecakes. It's my favorite type of cake because it softly melts in my mouth. And usually, I can't resist it when people offers it to me. It was like ramen for Naruto. However, if I gave in to Sasuke's invite, that would mean I would declare my loss and his victory. "No, thanks." I responded, checking my cellphone for Sakura's reply and trying to make it look like I'm not interested in the cake.

"Suit yourself then." He said, taking a spoonful to his mouth. "It tastes really good."

As he spoke, my stomach started growling in hunger. I wasn't able to eat my food since Gaara arrived with his roses for Ino so I rushed out because of envy. And what better way to satisfy my hunger than to eat my beloved cheesecake? But my pride wouldn't let me. So I tried to distract myself. "Since when do you eat cake? If I remember correctly, you don't like sweets."

"Can't a person try something new?" Sasuke smirked. "So you were keeping tabs on me, huh?" He teased.

I rolled my eyes at him. "Sakura-chan always complain how you never eat chocolates and anything sweet. Don't get any ideas into your head." I said with a tone of annoyance. He just shrugged. I took out a mentos I'm keeping in my pocket and placed it in my mouth after taking the wrapper off.

"I can't believe you prefer eating a candy than this cheesecake." Then suddenly, he held out a paper plate with a slice of cheesecake and plastic fork. "This is my last offer. Take it or leave it?"

I hate him even more for teasing me like this. But I hate my stomach more right now. Swallowing my pride, I slowly stood up and started walking towards him. And just when I was about to take the plate, he moved it closer to him. "Hey!" I complained.

"Before I give this to you, you have to answer my question honestly first." He spoke with a smirk again.

"What?!" I exclaimed.

He put down the plate in the table in front him. And then he decided to ask. "Do you think I'm hot?"

"Are you serious?! I think you know my answer to that." I responded instantly, then I looked at the cake.

"Okay, seriously, why do you hate me? It's not like I'm doing anything bad to you."

I checked his face to know if he's serious or not. Judging by the serious expression plastered on his face now, I think he might be really serious this time. "You want to know why? Okay, I'll tell you. It's because of that stupid smirk you always have that I hate so much." I answered since it is somewhat true.

Since Sasuke nodded, I took it as a sign that I can eat now. I sat down in the chair in front of the table where the plate of cheesecake is. I immediately put a spoonful in my mouth. Sasuke wasn't lying when he said it tastes good. Probably one of the best cheesecakes I've ever tasted.

When Sasuke saw me enjoying it, he didn't try to take it away despite not being satisfied with my answer. Instead, he just spoke. "I thought you said you don't like taking things that aren't yours?"

I looked at him. "I'm only eating this because you insisted on letting me have it. And who am I to decline food? Food is a blessing." I lied, not wanting to let him have the satisfaction of seeing me eat my words.

"I wonder what I'm going to give Karin now that you ate her cake." He suddenly brought up.

Annoyed by the mention of Karin's name, I glared at him. Upon doing so, I caught sight of a rose and a box of chocolates beside him, the same one he used to give Sakura. "I don't think she's going to be disappointed with just a rose and a box of chocolate. You can just call her name and she'll still feel elated." I mumbled, and took another bite.

"These aren't for her. It's for someone else." He answered.

I raised my eyebrow at him. "Are you saying that you're courting someone else besides Karin?" I assumed, seeing he's giving those to another girl. "How could I forget? You're a player so that's nothing to be surprised about."

Normally, Sasuke just shrug off my nasty remarks but this time he actually defended himself. "Who said I'm courting Karin or that other girl? I'm giving those as a reward for someone who managed to be with me even though she didn't need to."

"Oh, then that girl must be Sakura. Since she went out with you even though you were a big jerk." I shot at him, glad to have a chance to bring up Sakura so he would at least feel guilty.

"Why would I give those to Sakura? She hates almonds."

He knows that? Every Valentine's, when he and Sakura were together, he would always give her the same kind of chocolates, a box of chocolates with almonds. And sure enough, Sakura never ate them since she doesn't like almonds. So I eat them instead since almonds are my favorite. But Sakura and I just assumed that Sasuke didn't know. "Then why did you give the same kind of chocolates when you guys were still together?"

But he didn't answer it instead he asked back. "Why are you complaining? You're the one who gets to eat them. You love almonds, don't you?"

I opened my mouth to say anything about it but the door suddenly opened, revealing a not-so-happy Sakura and behind her are Kiba and Naruto. When she saw us, I noticed she's trying to hide back a feeling of being betrayed. But I can't really blame her. How would you feel when you see your ex-boyfriend and bestfriend sitting and eating cake together inside a dark classroom with only three candles lit.

"Sakura-chan." I started, standing up from my seat. "It's not what you think."

Sakura obviously didn't want to hear my explanation so she turned and started walking away. So I dashed out to go after her but not without slapping the arms of Naruto and Kiba. "I'm getting back at you two for this." I told them with a pout.

Naruto scratched the back of his head and grins at me while Kiba shrugged also with a matching grin. I jogged ahead until I found Sakura by her locker. She was talking to a guy who probably has a crush on her. He might be the one giving Sakura the sweet valentine she deserves so I didn't disturb them.

When I got to class, I was expecting the teacher to cut me some slack and not ask about my reason for being late but I was wrong since it's Valentine's. As soon as I entered the classroom, the teacher asked me why I was late.

"I was late because Sasuke pulled a prank on me. He locked me inside a room."

"Are you saying that someone pulled a prank on you instead of doing something sweet for you this Valentine's day?" She raised her brow at me. My classmates laughed at me but I ignored them and just nodded. "And you're saying it was Sasuke who did something like that?" She looked at me in disbelief. What can I do? Sasuke really charmed even the teachers.

From that point, I already knew that my teacher wasn't going to give me a break. Was it really harder to believe me than Sasuke? Once again, I was asked to stand in the back of the room. This time Gaara isn't here to make my punishment seem lighter or enjoyable. To make it worse, I noticed Gaara isn't even inside the room. Is it possible that Gaara is still with Ino right now and that I really was just a friend to him?

Suddenly, I felt a vibration in my pocket. Seeing that the teacher is busy writing in the board, I took my phone out and read the message.

 **[ _Gaara_ : Where are you? Why did you leave so quickly during lunch? I have something for you.]**

Upon reading that, I felt my heart race. Gaara was going to give me something, that was why he wasn't around? That meant he's not with Ino after all. Instead, he's looking for me? The only problem now is I couldn't get out of the room. And just as I was about to reply, the teacher once again faced towards my direction so I hid my cellphone again. I just held in my excitement until class is over.

Once I walked out of the room, I dialed Gaara's number to see if I could meet him. Unfortunately, he's not answering the call so I just headed for my locker.

Upon opening my locker, I saw _**the** _ box of chocolates, or at least the same one, I saw with Sasuke earlier.

Could it really be from Sasuke? Or was it from Gaara?


	19. Stolen

**All credits to Yves_Liong (writer from Wattpad) and Masashi Kishimoto (owner of Naruto).**

 **Warning: OOC Characters**

 **-DenHime**

* * *

 **Battling With A Hot Guy**

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 _ **23**_

No, it couldn't be from Uchiha Sasuke. Because from what I remember, there was a rose with his chocolates. But then again, I'm not even sure if it was from Gaara either since he isn't answering his phone. I decided to worry about it later when I walk home. However, as I placed my books inside, I found a rose buried underneath a pile of folders. I guess my locker is too messy so I wasn't able to notice it quickly. And because of the presence of the red rose, I'm a bit certain that it's Sasuke who placed it there. I still do not want to assume though.

"Hinata-chan." I heard Sakura suddenly called me. I turned around and she's already behind me. "Look, about earlier, I'm sorry I overreacted. I just told you yesterday that I will be fine if you decide to out with him yet there I was, acting all jealous when there wasn't really anything going on."

Seeing how freaked out Sakura was when she assumed Sasuke and I had something going on earlier, I can't just tell her that these gifts are _**probably**_ from Sasuke or else she'll definitely get hurt. And being preoccupied by that thought, I just waved my hand dismissively. "That's alright, you don't have to apologize."

As I was talking, I attempted to hide the gifts behind me but Sakura was too keen not to notice. "What's that you're hiding in your back?" She asked as she try to catch a glimpse.

Knowing Sakura will just continue asking, I can't possibly hide it from her anyway so I decided to show it to her and think of an alibi. "These? They're presents from Gaara-kun." I bit my lip since I must have half lied since I'm not sure who it really is from.

"You mean, he really gave something to you? I knew it!" She cheerfully remarked, not even suspecting my alibi. "After you left so quickly during lunch, Gaara explained that the roses he gave Ino were from Sai and he was just the person who delievered it. After that, Sai arrived with another present for Ino."

That is all I needed to hear to feel excited again. Gaara didn't really like Ino! Although I feel a bit guilty since Ino really likes him.

As Sakura and I walk home, we discussed the chances of Gaara liking me. "I really think he likes you, Hina-chan. Think about it, he didn't give anyone else anything. Just you." She reasoned.

Technically, Gaara didn't give me anything yet. It's still hypothesis between him and Sasuke who gave me the chocolates and rose. The probability leans towards Sasuke more. But Gaara did say he's going to give me something so that counted as _**something**_. "But we're not really sure if he gave someone else a rose or maybe even jewelry." I tried not to assume or expect too much.

"You are so dense, you know that? How can you not notice when someone likes you?" She giggled, hitting my arm lightly like a friend would.

"I'm not dense." I complained. "I just don't want to jump into conclusions. I don't want to assume he likes me just because he gave me something because that doesn't prove anything."

After that we went our own ways. As I walked home, I couldn't help thinking about Gaara. Why wasn't he answering my call? Could he be mad at me? But it wasn't like I did something bad, right? Maybe I should try calling him again and ask him.

Taking out my cellphone as I enter our house, I noticed I have a new message. Somehow, I already knew it was Gaara. And I was right.

 **[ _Gaara_ : Hey, I'm sorry I wasn't able to answer your call. I was in the middle of something. But I left something in your locker, did you see it?]**

Could it be a coincidence that he gave me the exact same gifts Sasuke planned on giving a certain girl? The chocolates and rose is really from him and not Sasuke? I decided to just reply him.

 **[Yeah, thank you so much. How did you know I love almonds?]**

It took a while for Gaara to reply and what he replied really confused me. **[ _Gaara_ : What do you mean?]**

 **[You gave me a box of chocolate almonds. Did you know I love them or did you just guesed?]** I replied, thinking maybe he just needed me to elaborate.

This time, he replied quickly. **[ _Gaara_ : I think you're confusing me with someone else. I gave you a pink rose like I said I would yesterday.]**

From what I remember, the rose in my locker is as red as a rose could be. But I could have been wrong so I checked it again, and undoubtedly, it really is red. **[Are you sure you placed it in my locker and not someone else's?]** I asked remembering Sasori-sempai mistook my locker too for Dei-san's.

 **[ _Gaara_ : Definitely. I asked Ino to help me with the location and combination.]**

 **[Then did you see other gifts inside when you opened it?]** I asked again, this time I formulated a new theory. The chocolates and the rose are indeed from Sasuke, I am sure of it now. And if Sasuke placed them after Gaara placed his rose, then Sasuke probably took it.

 **[ _Gaara_ : No, I just saw how messy your locker is. Why? Is there something wrong?]**

Uchiha Sasuke must have really taken Gaara's rose. He is so dead. Right now, I don't have the heart to tell Gaara that I didn't get his rose, especially since he seems eager to know my reaction. And so I just pretended I got it. **[No, there's nothing wrong. I just can't believe you went through a lot of trouble just to give me something. I really appreciate it.]**

 **[ _Gaara_ : It's nothing, as long as I know it made you smile.] **He replied, making my heart flutter.

If I wasn't running out of credits, I would continue exchanging texts with him. Unfortunately, I am running our of credits, so I ended our conversation. **[Thank you, really. Good night!]**

 **[ _Gaara_ : Alright. Good night, Hinata.]**

Now, how would I deal with Sasuke tomorrow? I would have thrown his gifts tomorrow but I can't since I'm savoring the chocolates right now. What? I really love chocolate almonds. Also, if I do that, Sakura will find out Sasuke did gave me gifts and she might misunderstood which will create bigger problems. Therefore, I have no choice but to confirm from him if he stole Gaara's rose and force an apology from him.

The next day I arrived early at school. As expected, there aren't much people yet. And so I decided to look for someone I know who always arrive early, Ino.

She is by her locker as usual. "Ino-chan! How was your Valentine's Day yesterday?" I teased her when I finally reached her.

"Hinata-chan! Why didn't you tell me Gaara likes you?" She exclaimed with a pout, not even answering me but I know how she is so it's okay. "You even got him begging me for your locker combination." She giggled.

"Uhm... I'm not sure if he does like me. And unfortunately, I wasn't able to receive his rose because Sasuke stole it."

"Are you serious? Why would he do something like that?" She said with interest in her eyes as she shut her locker close.

I noticed on her hand is a pure silver bracelet with gold-colored diamond. "Is that what I think it is?" I asked her, forgetting about Sasuke for a moment.

She looked at what I was focused on and then gave me a smile. "If you mean this bracelet is from Sai? Yes, it is." She answered cheerfully.

"Then does this mean you're giving up on Gaara?" I asked, somewhat feeling happy not to have her as a rival on the guy I like. Not that it really bothers me since what we have is just a friendly competition. But I really would feel a lot better if she doesn't like Gaara anymore so I won't feel guilty about having a huge crush on him.

But she shook her head. "Of course not. I'm only wearing this bracelet because Sai claimed it's chosen by Gaara." She remarked.

It was probably just Sai's white lies to get Ino to accept his present like when he asked Gaara to deliver the roses to her. But I didn't dare say it since Ino might take it the wrong way and assume that I'm trying to get her to unlike Gaara. So I decided to just bring back the topic earlier. "Anyway about Sasuke, I'm planning to confront him."

"I don't think you need to do that anymore." She suddenly said, gesturing me to look behind me.

I turned my head and saw what Ino was talking about. Sasuke and Naruto are walking down the hallway, not too far away from us. There's a scowl on Sasuke's face that says he's not amused.

Why do I have a feeling I had something to do with that?


	20. Valentine's Aftermath

**To _sasuhinacanon_ , hello! I don't think there's a way to report them because they do not use accounts. They flames writers as guests so they won't get reported because they are a bunch of cowards. Anyway, thank you for sympathizing even though I'm not one of those great SasuHina writers. Hehe. I have also read _kimmibears_ stories and they are all great. No wonder SasuHina haters flames her stories. **

**I realized that whenever the _very kind_ guest reviewer says, "kill yourself, virgin," it just sounds so funny to me now. You're a joke, you know that? Thank you for taking the time to view my work and even leaving a review. I can see you have nothing else better to do so you spend time and effort to come here and comment. Hahahaha! I can't help it, it's really funny to me now.**

 **Anyway!**

 **All credits to Yves_Liong (writer from Wattpad) and Masashi Kishimoto (owner of Naruto).**

 **Warning: OOC Characters**

 **-DenHime**

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 **Battling With A Hot Guy**

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 _ **24**_

Even though I have to admit I want to know what is up with Sasuke, my pride will never let me ask him about it. Besides, I didn't say I'm dying to know, I'm just a bit curious. But Ino is curious enough for the both of us to ask him.

"I think I'll ask him about what's bothering him." She said, her forehead furrowing.

"I'm sure it's not that serious. He might have broken her phone or something." I replied sarcastically.

She looked at me with raised brow. "How could you say that? It looks pretty serious to me." She defended, and then grabbed my arm. "Come on, let's ask him."

"Why do I have to come? Besides, wouldn't you seem strange if you just ask him about his problem when you aren't that close in the first place?" I tried to reason, not wanting Sasuke to think I actually cared for him.

"Who said we aren't close? I once played a badminton game with him." She remarked proudly, pulling me towards them. "And you have to come because deep down inside you want to know the answer too."

If I hadn't known better, I would think she's trying to set me up with Sasuke. But I know that she wouldn't do something like that because she's aware that I don't like him. And even though she's pulling me right now against my will, I'm sure she's just embarrassed to talk to Sasuke alone.

"Sasuke-kun!" She called as we near them.

When he saw us, his expression didn't change. "Is there a problem?" Naruto asked for him.

"That's what I'd like to know." Ino replied, turning to Naruto. "Why is Sasuke emitting dark aura? Did something bad happen?"

This time Sasuke spoke for himself. "Why don't you ask Hinata? She's the one who knows."

Because of the way he spoke, Ino and Naruto looked at me suspiciously as if they're trying to probe me for what it was that I did to make Sasuke act that way early in the morning. "H-Hey! Why are you looiking at me like that? I didn't do anything!" I defended myself, then turned to Sasuke and frowned. "Why are you blaming me for something I didn't do?"

"Who said I'm blaming you? I'm just saying you know the reason." He replied.

Even without his smirk, he's still able to annoy me greatly. "Why would I know? It's not like you and I ever shared secrets." I answered back sharply. What's up with him?

"I guess you forgot yesterday then." He said, turning to Ino and Naruto who are clueless about what he's talking about. "She told me it's bad to smile."

Oh, so now he's trying to make me look bad? But I just redirected the conversation. "Speaking of yesterday! Naruto-kun, you and Kiba-kun still owe me!" Naruto just grinned at me. Then I turned to Sasuke again and brought up the rose he stole from me. "And you. Why did you steal the rose Gaara-kun gave me? You were jealous, weren't you?"

"What are you talking about?" Naruto suddenly looked curious, unaware of what Sasuke did.

"I'm talking about your bestfriend opening my locker and stealing my pink rose. How did you even know my lock combination?!" I'm hoping to get Naruto on my side. "I know you did it so explain why."

Sasuke didn't answer me but instead threw a question. "Didn't you like my present better?"

"No!" Exclaimed. "Why would I?"

"Why not?" He asked again. Even without his smirk, he still managed to be annoying.

"Because I like Gaara-kun." I answered in a lowered voice than earlier. But then I remembered Ino's presence so I quickly added something. "A lot more than you.."

Sasuke was about to speak when Ino interrupted him. "I'm sorry to leave you, guys, but I have this big calculus test I have to cram for so I'll see you, guys, around!" She spoke with a sheepish smile before she started walking away.

"You don't like the person who gave you that rose." He beckoned, now giving me a smirk.

He didn't even say Gaara's name. He's so arrogant. Or maybe he's just jealous. I then snorted at his arrogance. "And how can you say that? He's way better than you in a lot of ways, so why won't I like him?" I shot at him. "And why are you smirking? I thought you're not going to do that since I told you it's bad."

"I changed my mind." He remarked.

I rolled my eyes in annoyance. Then I just demanded. "Give me back my rose."

"Why should I? I know you enjoyed my gifts better." He replied.

"Weren't you listening to a word I said? I didn't like your presents!" I repeated, this time saying each words as clearly as I could so he'll completely understand.

He smiled even wider. "Then give them back. If you return them, I'll return your rose." He proposed a deal.

I knew that if I say I ate it already, he'll definitely assume I loved his gifts. "I can't do that because I threw it away!" I exclaimed as soon as I thought of it.

He looked at me with raised brow. "You threw away a box of chocolate almonds?" He asked sarcastically. "You, of all people, are the last person who would throw away a chocolate." Then he smirked at me teasingly. "You ate it, didn't you?"

"Are you saying I'm a glutton?!" I yelled at him. Then I tried to calm myself. "Look, I don't care whatever you say, just give me back my rose."

"I can't, I don't have it with me." He answered, his expression returning to blank.

I knew he's playing with me so I tried to play along. Maybe he'd do what I want anyway. "Then where is it? Did you prehaps gave it to another girl?"

I'm actually losing patience as I play along with him but I'm not angry yet. "It's somewhere."

"Give it back or else I won't ever talk to you again." I threatened, slowly losing my patience. He's really the only one who manages to drain my patience away.

Then he turned serious. "Do you really want it back?" Of course, I nodded. "You sure you won't regret it?" Huh? Why would he ask if I'll regret it? What does he mean?

Naruto nudged Sasuke. "Teme, Hinata-chan looks pretty angry now. Look at the steam coming from her head." He said lowly but I still heard it and so I glared at Naruto but he made a peace sign with his fingers. "You should give her rose back." I nodded at Naruto's last remark.

Sasuke slipped his hands inside his pockets and looked at me intently. "If you really want your rose back then follow me." He finally said, turning to Naruto. "I'll see you later, dobe."

Then he started walking seemingly towards our classroom. I slapped Naruto's arm like I did yesterday and he grinned apologetically at me. Then I followed Sasuke and as soon as I'm walking beside him, I asked him. "Why are we going to my classroom? Your bag is not there."

He turned to me with a serious expression. "Who said it's in my bag? I gave it to someone else already." He said, making my eyes grow big in surprise.

"What do you mean?!" I exclaimed.

He didn't answer me, instead he turned right upon reaching our classroom and started heading towards another direction. Now it seems like he's going to the room we were trapped in yesterday.

He must have seen my expression turning angry again since I thought he's still fooling me. And then he gave me an assurance. "Don't worry, I can get it back for you if you really want it."

When we reached the room, the lights are open, and there are two people inside. One is a girl who's back is on me, and the other is none other than Gaara, staring into space at another side of the room.

As soon as I saw them while Sasuke and I stood by the doorway, I instantly opened my mouth to shout at Sasuke since I thought he's still playing a prank on me but then I heard what Gaara and the girl are talking about so I shut my mouth.

"Didn't I tell you to give this rose to Hinata? How do you expect her to fall for you if you don't give her anything on Valentine's Day?" The girl complained, showing a pink rose to Gaara. My eys widened as soon as I heard what the girl said.

"I already gave her the rose. She even thanked me for it." He replied uninterested and with an annoyed expression on his face.

The girl sounded even more annoyed when she answered him. "If you gave it to her then why do I have it with me?! Look, what I'm asking you isn't hard but why can't you just do it properly?!"

Gaara suddenly walked towards the girl and stopped a few inches from her. "You want me to make Hinata fall for me. In the process, make her hate Sasuke even more. And you want me to accomplish that because I owe you something? I don't owe you anything and I don't care whatever you say." He spoke in a low, scary voice.

"So what are you trying to say?" The girl asked, turning to Gaara. When she did, I finally realized I recognize who she is. None other than Uzumaki Karin.

"It's not worth it." Gaara answered.

That was all I could take. I suddenly had an emotional breakdown causing me to get out of there and lock myself in the girls' comfort room.


	21. Operation Sasuke

**I absolutely have no motivation right now. 😔😔 Ugh. I need a hug!**

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 **All credits to Yves_Liong (writer from Wattpad) and Masashi Kishimoto (owner of Naruto).**

 **Warning: OOC characters**

 **-HimeDen**

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 **Battling With A Hot Guy**

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 _ **25**_

As I enter the girls' comfort room, I realized how stupid I was all these time. I mean, it's pretty obvious that Gaara didn't truly like me from the way he treated me during our first few encounters, and then all of a sudden he changed into a sweet guy after. But he looked so sincere during our times together. I guess there's really no way to tell when a guy is just playing with you.

I found myself crying inside one of the cubicles. I felt so betrayed and as I remember those times with Gaara, it just made cry even more. I really liked him.

Suddenly, I felt my cellphone vibrating, I took it out of my pocket and the screen flashes an incoming call from Gaara. It's either he found out that I heard about his conversation with Karin or Karin told him to call me. I went for the latter, assuming it's impossible for him to know I was there since he's too busy talking to Karin.

I rejected the call but right after I did, a thought suddenly formed in my mind. Gaara still had no idea I now know his mission. And if I keep avoiding him, he'll definitely notice something is wrong. It's not the right time for him to know yet so when my cellphone ring once again, I picked it up and tried to sound normal as I answered.

"Hello."

 _"Hinata, why weren't you answering your phone?"_ He asked, sounding concerned.

"Oh. It's because I didn't notice my phone ringing until now." I said faking a chuckle as I unlock the cubicle I am in. I stood in front of the mirror as I continue talking to Gaara. "Why did you call me?

 _"Do I need to have a reason to call you?"_ He asked jokingly then he continued talking. _"I was just wondering, what was the color of the flower's wrapper I gave you yesterday?"_

Remembering what Karin was holding earlier, I recall it was blue. "It's blue. Why?" I answered unexcitedly.

 _"You just guessed that, didn't you?"_ He sighed and then his voice sounds disappointed. _"Why didn't you tell me you did not receive my rose?"_

I was really tempted to say it wasn't really _his_ rose but Karin's, however, I reminded myself that I shouldn't let the cat get out of the bag because I wasn't ready for a confrontation yet. "Uhm... It's because I don't want to upset you. You seemed so eager to get my reaction yesterday that I was afraid if I told you I didn't get it, you'd get hurt." I lied, although somewhat true, since that _was_ how I felt before I found out his scheme with Karin.

 _"You should have told me so I could get it back for you."_ He answered. _"I wonder who stole it. Do you have any idea?"_

Suddenly, I thought of a way to scare him. "Maybe it's Karin. She once stole my notes from my locker, so maybe she's also the one who stole the rose." I'm not going to tell him I know Sasuke stole the rose and gave it back to Karin.

As expected, he didn't speak right away. In fact, it took him a while before he spoke, and when he did, he suddenly sounded like he's in a hurry. "Look, I need to go. I'll just see you in class later, okay?" He said, then he hung up. I slipped my phone back to my pocket.

It never dawned to me that all the times Gaara and I talked, we've never really stumbled upon Karin as our topic. What if I mentioned Karin in our past conversations? Would he have been awkward then? But then when Karin confronted me, he intervened and faced her for me. Was that also just a big act?

As I open the door of the girls' comfort room to exit, my thoughts continued to confuse me. When I step outside, I was suprised to see Uchiha Sasuke a few meters where I stood, leaning against the wall as if he's waiting for someone. I can't help but think that he's waiting for me all these time.

"Why are you waiting for me?" I asked as I got near him.

When he heard me, he turned to me and raised his brow. "Who said I was waiting for you? I'm not." Then he look away.

I crossed my arms as I stand in front of him then I raised my brow. "Oh, yeah? Then what are you doing here?" I asked him knowing he's really waiting for me. What else could he be doing here?

"I'm leaning against the wall, just hanging out." He answered like it's the most sensible thing. "Is there something wrong with that?"

I was about to ask, _outside the girls' comfort room_? But suddenly decided against it. If I treat him the way I usually do, he'll definitely leave me here. "Not at all."

I replied with a small smile. He looked at me like there was something wrong with me since I really don't smile at him. So I decided pretending being nice to him is useless, and so I asked him.

"How long have you known about it?"

"Know about what? About your love for chocolate almonds?" He responded with a non-chalant expression. But I know he's aware of what I'm talking about, he's just teasing me again.

"Nevermind!" I told him angrily, turning around and starting to walk away from him.

That's when he started being serious. "I heard them talking about it the day of the varsity's first game."

I stopped and turned back to him and frowned. "Then why didn't you tell me?!" I exclaimed angrily again. "No, wait. Why would you tell me? Of course you wouldn't since you enjoy making me feel like a fool. I bet you even planned this whole thing, didn't you?" I said accusingly.

I don't know why but there was something about Sasuke that always make me throw my anger at him. I knew for a fact that I shouldn't even be mad at him because it's Gaara and Karin who are my enemies right now but somehow, I always end up venting out my anger at him. Because I do not want to be a very horrible person, I decided to get out of there before I say anything more.

As I walk away, I couldn't help but feel frustrated. Everything Gaara told me, the cake, him asking for my number, all of them were just a product of Karin's plans. But why would he even obey her? What's their connection? And how could Karin be so insensitive to play with my feelings? It wasn't even as if I stole Sasuke away from her. Sasuke isn't hers to begin with anyway. Why does she really hate me so much?

Before I enter the classroom, Gaara suddenly called me from behind, causing me to put on a fake smile as I greeted him. "Hey." I tried to greet him enthusiastically but failed.

"Sorry about earlier, Sai suddenly asked me to help him with his homework." He apologized as he and I entered the room side by side.

I faced him now removing tha fake smile plastered in my lips. "It's fine." I coldly waved at him then headed for the seat beside Sakura. When she saw me, she smiled brightly and nudged me lightly. "What did he tell you?" She asked excitedly.

I just pretended like there was nothing wrong. "Nothing, he just said hi." I lied, avoiding her eyes by rummaging through my bag so she wouldn't catch me lying.

I felt Sakura stared at me. "Wait a minute... You just cried, didn't you?" She exclaimed as she examined me more. She must have noticed my voice quivered even though I was trying to hide it. "What happened, Hinata-chan?"

Just when I opened my mouth to explain, the teacher suddenly entered. So I just took out a piece of paper and begin to write what happened earlier. I handed her the paper when the teacher started writing an equation. Sakura looked at me bewildered after she read what I wrote.

"How could Karin do something as evil as that?" She whispered and I shrugged in reply. Sakura started writing on the paper too. She wrote that she wasn't surprised anymore, remembering the kind of treatment Karin gave her when Sasuke and her are still together. **_She is desperate for Sasuke. Now that he's not with me anymore, she'll do anything just to get him._**

After reading Sakura's note, my mischievous brain started to function. If Karin is so obsessed with trying to win Sasuke and if someone is to race her and end up winning against her, she'd definitely get real pissed. And if it's me who happens to do that, then she'd be so furious. It doesn't matter if I don't like Sasuke because that way I can still get my revenge on Sasuke for playing with Sakura's heart. It's like hitting two birds in one stone.

I continued to formulate my plan as our teacher discussed about the equations on the board. When the class ended, I tapped Sakura's shoulder excitedly and told her about my plan. She turned to me and then gave me an unreadable expression.

"So will you help me?" I asked her, hoping she'll say yes. After all, she's the one who knows a lot about Uchiha Sasuke so she'll definitely be a big help.

She thought about it for a moment as she rubbed her chin. I bit my lower lip because her facade is unpredictable. But then she gave me a smile. "I'm in." She answered. "Operation Sasuke is officially on."

We both grinned evilly.


	22. Request

**I just read Pillow Talk by Lumiwolf and I like what she said in the author's note: _"What's the point of fanfiction if we pair everyone with the same people? It's boring. . ."_**

 **Yep. I totally agree. And that hater who keeps flaming my work, at least have the audacity to leave my reviewers alone. You can flame and hate me all you want but at least have manners and don't include the reviewers with your stupidity. And I hope you have more vocabulary than "pathetic virgin."**

 **Ugh. Ill-mannered people. I'm such a bitch. I know. I just can't let some stuck-up talk shitty stuff to someone who's trying to make me feel better and defending SH writers. Sorry, I always rant about haters and flames. Anyway!**

 **As promised! This chapter is dedicated to _Caro666Mocha_ , omggg! You really got me riled up! I hope you'll like this update! Thank you sooo much! 😊❤️**

 **All credits to Yves_Liong (writer from Wattpad) and Masashi Kishimoto (owner of Naruto).**

 **Warning: OOC characters**

 **-DenHime**

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 **Battling With A Hot Guy**

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 _ **26**_

"Step 1, you should learn Sasuke's schedule. Because the more times you bump into him, the better." Sakura-chan said as we eat our lunch. "Luckily, I still know his routine so I'll write it down for you."

She handed me the piece of paper after writing on it. When I saw it, my jaw dropped. Sakura wrote Sasuke's schedule in detail. She even included the time he goes home and the time when he would reach his house. "Don't tell me you were stalking him when you guys were together?!" I exclaimed, looking at her with wide eyes.

"Then I won't." She responded with a sheepish smile and then flips her hair. "Anyway, as you can see there, he'll be here in about..." She paused to check her watch, then she continued. "Five minutes. So before he comes, let's try to come up with a plan for you to approach him."

I looked around, checking for Karin's presence in the cafeteria. Sure enough, she was there, chatting with one of her co-fangirls. "I want something that would make her get out of here once she sees it." I told Sakura, feeling my anger rising upon remembering what she did to me.

"That's easy. You can just talk to Sasuke and she'll be the fastest person in the world." Sakura rolled her eyes at what she said. "But here's what you have to do." She took something out of her pocket and showed it to me. "This is Sasuke's watch. When we became a couple, I took it from him and told him that as long as I have this watch, he can never have another girlfriend. Tell him that I asked you to return this back to him because I'm ready to let him go."

I tried to see behind Sakura's smile as she speak. I can always see through her, this is painful for my bestfriend. "Are you sure?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?" She replied, still smiling as she placed the watch in my hand. "Now go, and don't even think about bickering with him."

Seeing how she really seemed sincere with her words, I smiled too and stood up from my seat. Exactly at the same time, Sasuke and Naruto entered the cafeteria. I slowly walked up to them, hoping we'd meet at the point where Karin would have very clear view of us.

"Sasuke." I called as I approach them. The two turned to me. I actually really felt awkward calling him like this so I looked at Naruto and smiled at him first then return back my focus to Sasuke. He sure do look surprised at my friendliness. I reached out my hand to reveal his watch. "Hi. I just want to give this to you as a favor for Sakura-chan." I said, forcing myself to be friendly. Sasuke looked at me with a raised eyebrow but he didn't say anything so I decided to say something more. "And to apologize for losing my temper on you earlier."

Even Naruto looked surprise by what I said. But before he could utter anything, Sasuke suddenly grabbed my hand and started pulling me towards the exit of the cafeteria. He stopped and turned to Naruto. "I'll be back. Go ahead without me." He said monotonously and then he pulled me away, and I looked back to see if Karin spotted us.

To my delight, she is glaring at me. It took a lot of effort for me not to laugh. Well, not really, because I was busy trying to pull away from Sasuke's grip. "Where are you taking me?" I demanded when we are already in the hallway.

He stopped walking and turned to me. "I'm taking you to the clinic." He answered in a serious tone.

"What? Why?!" I exclaimed, still trying to free my wrist from his grip.

"Because you're ill." He responded simply.

I gave him a glare. "Just because I'm trying to be in better terms with you doesn't mean I'm ill!" I barked at him, already feeling my annoyance rising. He looked at me unconvinced. "Look, I just want to be friends with you because I realized that your break-up with Sakura-chan is not really your fault." But of course I'm lying.

"But it is my fault." He suddenly said with a nonchalant expression.

Why is it that whenever I expect Sasuke to do or say something, he always does the opposite? For a long time now, I wanted him to admit his fault on his break-up with Sakura but he never did. But now that I'm trying to give him an escape, he is suddenly telling the truth. But since we're trying to make the plan work, I decided to stay calm. "Well, then I forgive you." I said, trying so hard to stay cool.

But Sasuke decided to be a jerk once again, using my words against me. "You're the one apologizing, so why would you forgive me?" He said, suddenly showing his smirk.

"Fine, then do you forgive me?" I asked starting to show my irritation.

"Not in that tone of voice. I'd forgive you if you get on your knees and ask me for forgiveness in a nicer tone." He said, teasing me.

I clenched my fists in order to stop myself from just swinging my fist at him. I heaved a huge breath and spoke. "Look, I'm not going to get on my knees and beg you to forgive me since my offense isn't really big. So, Uchiha Sasuke, I apologize."

"Okay then." He suddenly said, it made me believe that he's ready to forgive me now. But what he said next is really annoying. "Before I forgive you, you must do something for me."

I sighed. Here he is again, with his _you must do something for me_ thing. "What is it?" I'm actually ready to hear requests like being his girlfriend because he did that once, or asking me to run around school and shout how hot he is, and so on.

But then I notice how serious he is. "I want you to stay away from me." He remarked out of the blue, his face is blank of any expression. Then he turned and walked away from me.

Surprised by what he said and did, I found myself staring at the space he was standing at earlier. Did he just implied that I'm always sticking to him? Suddenly, I felt angry.

After some minutes, I shook my head and just as I was about to move, I suddenly notice a pair of leather shoes at the spot where Sasuke stood. I looked up only to find Gaara. And he looked like he's trying to catch his breath.

"There you are. I need to talk to you. Do you have time?" He asked as soon as he caught his breath.

Unfortunately, I'm in no mood to play along with him. "I'm sorry, I have to go." I answered and turned to leave, hoping he'll leave me alone because if he didn't, my anger might explode at him.

Unfortunately again, Gaara is persistent. He grabbed my hand and pleased. "Please?"

Having no choice, I turned and nodded, as soon as I did, he pulled me in the nearest deserted room. He asked me to sit and when I did, he started.

"Hinata, I did something really bad." He looked at me with an apologetic expression. "But somehow, I don't regret it that much."

I know what he was saying but I was confused about him not regretting his dreadful way. "What do you mean?"

"Karin asked me for a favor in return for helping my brother and sister, I agreed because she really did helped us a lot before and also because I saw how wrong your ways are in dealing with the Uchiha." He explained, searching my face for something I don't know. "Karin asked me to court you."

I wanted him to say something more, like how sorry he was and that he would never bother me again if I want so that the pain of betrayal will heal but he didn't say anything anymore. I guess he wanted me to speak so I finally decided to vent out the pent-up anger I have for him. "What exactly do you expect upon admitting that? Let me guess, you expect me to take that as an honest remark and for that, I'd forgive you, right?" I spoked as coldly as I can. "Well, guess what? I'm not that stupid." I avoided his eyes as I stand and make my way to the door but Gaara immediately stopped me by my wrist.

"You're right, Hinata. I know you're not stupid. But as soon as I learn who you really are, I diverted from Karin's plan. I made my own moves. Because I want to win your heart even if I had to resort to using Karin's means."

I turned to him and searched his face. He looked guilty and pleading. But if I was my normal self, the one who has a huge crush on him, I would have give in. Gaara is undeniably handsome but I am angry at what he did even if I know I still like him. "That's really stupid, you know that?! I trusted you! And you know what I hate the most? It's people who have nothing better to do than play with people's feelings." I said angrily, I forced his hand off my wrist and exited the room.

I almost run to the girls' comfort room, not even apologizing to people I bumped into on the way. I was afraid my tears will fall before I reached a cubicle so I raced to my destination. My tears started flowing as soon as I locked the cubicle I entered.

Am I really crying because of Gaara? Then why was Sasuke's words the one that were retaining in my mind? I can't believe it. Uchiha Sasuke is in my mind right now. His request of me staying away from him ringing in my ears.

As I try to wipe my tears dry, my phone suddenly vibrated in my pocket so I took it out. Sakura's name flashes in my screen. I decided to push the answer button and put my phone in my ear.

"Hinata-chan! What happened? Where are you?" She asked from the other end of the line.

"I'm in the girl's comfort room." I answered in a muffled voice. That's all I said and then pushed the end button. I put my phone back to my pocket and calmed myself.

After a few minutes, I heard a knock on the cubicle I am in. "Hinata-chan? Are you there?" It's Sakura. I opened the door and lifted my head. "Oh my gosh. What happened?" She immediately asked with concern in her voice and then she pulled me so she can rub my back to comfort me.

Wiping my tears, I took a deep breath. "I just had a talk with Gaara. He admitted everything." I explained, suddenly having hiccups.

"I thought you're over that, that's why we're doing the plan. Do you like him that much that you're crying over it?"

"I don't know.. I guess I just suddenly had an emotional breakdown again. But I feel better now."

She smiled. "Okay then. Can you tell me what happened between you and Sasuke?" She finally asked.

I told her the whole thing in detail. How I started the conversation and then how he suddenly became very serious. "He asked me to stay away from him. Can you believe that?" I let out, once again feeling angry. "It's not like I want to hang out with him."

"He said that?" Sakura exclaimed in disbelief. "But that's impossible!"

I frowned at Sakura's remark. "He really said that, then he walked away."

She sighed in disappointment. "Why would he do that? It doesn't make sense." I shrugged at her. "This could only mean one thing."

"What?" I couldn't help but ask.

"Sasuke doesn't like you anymore."


	23. Frustration

**Omggg! I'm so happy I got this far! I just thought I'm gonna give this up eventually but NO! We still have a long way sooo... I hope someone's still reading and anticipating! Hehe.**

 **All credits to Yves_Liong (author from Wattpad) and Masashi Kishimoto (owner of Naruto).**

 **Warning: OOC characters**

 **-DenHime**

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 **Battling With A Hot Guy**

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 _ **27**_

As Sakura said those words, she is also looking at me accusingly. "What? I didn't do anything. I was even friendly when I approached him." I defended myself.

Sakura shook her head disbelievingly. "Do you think a guy wouldn't give up after trying to put up with you and your terrible treatment of him? Hello? You practically blow up everytime you talk to him." She said with a raised brow. "Now it's going to be harder to go with our plan. And here I thought we could start a few squares ahead of square one but I guess not."

Was it just me or is Sakura more eager about this than me? "Hey, you seem more excited than me!" I commented as we walk out of the comfort room.

"Well, I really want to get even with Karin after everything she put me through, especially when Sasuke and I were together." She reasoned, now her eyes full of determination. "Don't you?"

She's right, Karin really needed to learn a lesson. Or two. And the only way for her to learn her lesson is to experience what it's like to have someone ruin things for her. Like she did to others, especially me and Sakura. "Good point. So what are we going to do?" I asked her, knowing this is her line of expertise.

"Hm... Since you said Sasuke wants you to stay away from him, it wouldn't be easy for you to get close to him. In that case, we're going to need someone's help." Sakura suddenly took out her cellphone and looked through her phonebook and pushed the call button.

"Who are you calling?" I asked her curiously.

She grinned at me. "Who else could help us but Naruto?"

Knowing Naruto, I doubt he'd go against Sasuke. He's practically Sasuke's other half. Maybe they really are gay! I snickered inwardly, and then focused at Sakura again. "Naruto might just rat us out to Sasuke."

Sakura cancelled the call and held her phone down. "Don't you trust me?" She looked at me worriedly.

"Of course I do!" I scratched my nape as she grinned again.

"Alright. I can get Naruto to help us. If I fail, then you can punish me."

Why is she confident about it? Unless... "Is something going on between you and Naruto-kun?" I asked her suspiciously. She gave me an innocent smile but I knew her too well. "You guys are dating?!" I exclaimed.

"What? No! We're not!" She answered almost too fast. "Uhm... We've just been... Talking often.." She cleared her throat and then started dialling again to escape from me. "Now stop interrupting me while I call him, okay?"

Sakura said and moved a few meters away from me like she always does when she's calling someone. Or maybe this time it's because she doesn't want me to hear her talking sweetly to Naruto. I snickered, outwardly now, since Sakura wouldn't see me. Now I'm standing here looking like a loner. Luckily, my phone started vibrating so I took it out and saw Ino's name flashing in the screen.

I instantly answered. "Hello?"

"Hinata-chan! Where are you? I have some news for you!" She sounds excited.

Already curious about it, I told her my location. And after hearing what I said, she hung up. Sure enough, next thing I know, she appeared just as Sakura hung up her call with Naruto. Ino and Sakura approached me together. As they walk towards me, it looks like they're chatting, probably making up after the incident in the comfort room a few days back.

When they reached me, Sakura spoke first. "We're all set. Naruto is going to make sure that he and Sasuke will have lunch with us tomorrow."

"Great." I replied making Ino's eyes grow wide in surprise. When I noticed, I asked away. "Why? What's the matter?"

"Since when is having lunch with Sasuke sound great to you?" She remarked and suddenly her hand felt my forehead to check my temperature. "Are you feeling alright? You're a bit hot, I think." She fussed worriedly.

"I feel fine, Ino-chan." I answered.

"Something fishy is going on. First, I see Gaara acting weird, now you are too. What's this? Am I in a different dimension right now?" Ino exclaimed almost looking like she's about to panic.

But instead of answering her, I found myself asking about Gaara instead. "What's wrong with Gaara?" I asked not being able to hide the worry in my voice. Because of that, Sakura looked at me questioningly but said nothing.

Ino frowned once again. "Well... Earlier, he entered the cafeteria looking like the whole world just crashed down on him. He didn't even notice me. He just went ahead and pulled Sai out of nowhere. Only when Sai told him to acknowledge my presence did he turn to greet me uninterestingly." Ino huffed in disappointment in the last word. "Then he asked for permission for the two of them to talk alone so I left them." She narrated. "Actually, that's the news I was talking about, Hina-chan."

"He's probably just being dramatic so you'll sympathize with him." Sakura was the one who commented, knowing I'd be lost for words. Ino seemed surprised once again.

"What do you mean?" She asked Sakura, looking confused.

I decided to answer Ino this time. "Ino-chan, there is something I learned about Gaara today. He's not who we thought he is." I started, checking my watch for the time. "Unfortunately, it's about time for class so I'll just tell you later after school, okay? Let's walk home together."

Ino shook her head. "No! You know how I hate waiting. Just tell me now, I'm sure it's not going to take long." She argued, and soon the bell rang, signaling the start of afternoon classes. Looking disappointed, Ino gave up. "Fine, I'll just wait for you later. Just don't be late!"

Sakura and I assured her we won't be before we all rushed to class. When we got there, Sakura and I were about to take our seats but just as I did, someone suddenly pushed past me and took the seat before I could. I was going to tell the guy that it was my seat but he looked pretty pissed so I let it go. I just waved at Sakura and tried to look for another seat.

But there is a big problem. There are only two vacant seats left. These are the seats beside Gaara and Sai. I know either of the two seats would make me uncomfortable but I chose to sit beside Sai because even if he and Gaara are close, we once talked and gotten a bit close. Only a bit.

"Hey, Hinata!" Sai greeted. He's probably pretending not to know about what Gaara did.

"I know that you know what's going on between Gaara and I." I responded icily. I took my notebook out and started scanning it so I wouldn't have to look at him.

"What do you mean?" Confusion is dripping in Sai's voice.

"What I mean is that you already know about Gaara's deceiving ways yet you never warned me. I really thought you were a good guy, Sai. That's why I introduced you to Ino but now I see you're exactly the opposite." I let out, finally craning my neck to look at him.

But frustration is written all over his face and his voice turned serious. "That's not true. I only found out about it earlier at lunch. I had no idea he was involved in something like that until he dragged me away from Ino and told me. If I knew, I would have convinced him to stop. But I didn't so I can't do anything about it."

After what he said, I know I shouldn't doubt Sai. I felt so bad I doubted him. I already know he is a nice guy, weird yeah, but nice. He even set up Ino and Gaara even if he's going to get hurt in the process. I looked at Sai apologetically. "I'm sorry, it's just I felt stupid for not having realized that I was being set up."

Before he could reply, the teacher entered the room and so, Sai took out a piece of paper and wrote something. Then he passed it on to me.

 ** _If you're stupid then what do you call me? I'm very close to him yet I didn't have any idea. I must be very, very, very stupid._**

I know Sai is trying to make me feel better, and I have to admit it's working. I smiled as I write a reply. **_Okay, so maybe we're not stupid. He's just a really great actor then. How else can he convince you and me, right?_**

I passed it on to Sai again and he read it. Then he started writing a reply and then passed it to me again. His reply caught me off-guard.

 ** _I don't know, Hinata-chan. But something tells me he wasn't acting the whole time. When he told me he started liking you I know he didn't lie. The look in his eyes is the same I had when I told you I like Ino. Gaara really likes you._**


	24. Refuse

**DenHime to Itachi's Queen. Yesss. I feel ittt!**

 **All credits to Yves_Liong (writer from Wattpad) and Masashi Kishimoto (owner of Naruto).**

 **Warning: OOC characters**

 **-Hime to Queen❤️**

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 **Battling With A Hot Guy**

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 _ **28**_

As Sakura and I walk outside campus to meet with Ino, I can't help but think about what Sai wrote. He's so sure that Gaara's feelings for me is genuine. And if that's the case, then I should feel happy, right? Because that means we like each other. The thing is... He still tricked me and made me feel like a fool, and I can't forgive him just like that. At least not at the moment.

As we neared our meeting place, Ino is already glancing at her watch. That meant she had been there for about three minutes because that's what she does when she's idle for more than a minute. Ino looked up from her watch and when she saw us, she waved at us and signaled us to hurry and tell her.

"So tell me now." She demanded as we staood in front of her.

Sakura and I looked at each other in question of who would speak first. I nodded at Sakura to say that she be the one to go first. For some reason, I have a feeling that Ino would be upset after she hears it. Sakura cleared her throat before she speak. "Karin asked Gaara to make Hinata fall for him." Sakura said in a serious tone.

For a minute there, Ino's face is blank. But when it seemed like it sank in, she immediately frowned and exclaimed. "What?! Are you serious?!" Sakura nodded in reply. Ino's jaw dropped. "Gaara actually obeyed that crazy girl?! How stupid can he be?!"

"Well... Hinata told me Gaara said he and his siblings owed Karin. So maybe he's paying a debt." Ino frowned.

"Karin is just so cunning." She shook her head. "So what do you two plan to do now?"

Sakura grinned mischievously. "Hinata-chan and I gave it a thought and we decided that it's not Gaara we should blame but instead Karin. And what better way to make her learn her lesson than beat her in her own game? So we're going to do just that." Sakura explained proudly.

Ino didn't seem to understand. "And how are you going to do that?" She asked as we started walking.

"We're going to make Sasuke fall for Hinata." Sakura smirked proudly. "After all, that's what it's all about for Karin. She takes it as if this is a game, and so we're going to beat her in her own game."

Ino frowned and turned to me. "You agreed to that?" She asked me in a surprised tone, as if I just agreed to join a cult.

I nodded. "Of course. Karin deserves to be hurt after what she did to me, to Sakura, to you." I justified my decision. "Besides, it's not like we're doing something evil here. We're just going to give Sasuke a taste of his own medicine since he played with Sakura-chan's heart."

"Well, have you ever given it a thought that maybe Sasuke didn't really play with Sakura's feelings? What if he really thought he could love Sakura back so he asked her to be his girlfriend? What if he really tried but he realized he just couldn't?" Ino pointed out, slightly tugging at my conscience.

But I did not falter. I knew I made the right decision. "Those are just _**what ifs**_. I heard Sasuke admit his mistake earlier today." I told her. "Just think about it, Ino-chan. What we're doing isn't really wrong. We're just trying to defend and protect ourselves. If we let them get away with all their deceitful ways, they will just continue doing it to others."

Ino shook her head. "I don't think that would stop them at all." She remarked with a cynical tone. "I think you're just going to make things worse. What you're doing is just feeding the flame when you should be extinguishing it. But I guess we have different opinions, huh? You're the ones to decide anyway so you don't have to convince me. But my advice, give it a lot of thought first before putting it into action, okay?"

After that, Sakura and Ino had to go their own ways so we bid good bye to each other. When I got home, Sakura called me to talk about our plans for tomorrow's lunch.

 _"So this is what we're going to do. Naruto and I will try to get out of there as soon as possible. So it's up to you to work your magic on Sasuke. Don't even try to argue with him, okay? Just treat him the way you treat us. If not, better."_ Sakura discussed.

"Are you saying that I treat people differently?" I asked. "Wait a minute, Sakura-chan. Have you thought about what Ino-chan said earlier? Do you think she's right?"

She fell silent for a moment. She probably just took that time to think about it. But it didn't really take any longer. _"I don't think Karin is going to be worse than she is now. Anyway, she's attacking us even if we're not doing anything to her so I don't think there's going to be any difference."_ She pointed out, and somehow, it convinced me.

"You know what, you're right." Well, she is my bestfriend. She would be there to stand by me so I agree with her.

 _"Of course I'm right. I'm always right, aren't I?"_ She said proudly. _"So anyway, let's go back to discussing about tomorrow. Let's practice what you're going to say to Sasuke. Let's pretend I'm Sasuke, and Naruto and Sakura decided to leave the scene. Sasuke looks at you, waiting for you to talk first. What do you say?"_

Analyzing the situation, I don't quite agree. "Sasuke knows I don't approach him so he probably won't wait for me to speak. How about you start the conversation because I think that's what he'll do."

She seemed to be amused by what I said because she let out a laugh. _"Okay, okay then. So I'll say hi."_ She said clearing out her chuckling and then she turned serious. _"Your turn."_

"Hi? Sasuke never says hi to me, Sakura-chan. He usually starts with an annoying line like, _**'You must smell funny for causing the dobe and Sakura to leave.'**_ Or something even more infuriating than that." I corrected her.

 _"He's just teasing you. It's because you always look like you're going to punch him in the face anytime."_ Sakura said and chuckled once again.

"Well, I might just do that tomorrow." Sakura burst out laughing, then we both ended up laughing together.

 _"Okay. You know what, let's not go over your conversation with Sasuke-kun anymore. Just think about this before you say anything to him. If you manage to make him fall for you, you're not only winning the battle with Karin but also the battle with Sasuke. Got it?"_ Sakura said encouragingly.

She is right so I agreed. And so after talking to her, I decided to do some research to help me control my anger outbursts towards Sasuke. I typed in, _**'How to deal with dummies,'**_ and a lot of tips came up. One of them became my favorite. It says, **_"Remember that he has a different way of thinking so never get mad when he can't seem to understand what you're saying."_**

The next day, as Sakura and I walk towards the cafeteria, she reminded me once again about her words of encouragement.

"Don't forget, Hinata-chan. Succeed, and you will win two battles." She said as she raise her fist in front of me. I nearly sweatdropped at her motivation.

"I'm not a retard so you don't have to keep reminding me." I joked. Ino's words yesterday did scare me but Sakura reassured me so I'm going to trust my bestfriend. I am still angry at what Karin and Gaara did to me and I'm hoping this plan will blow up in their faces, especially Karin.

We entered the cafeteria and looked for a vacant table. We settled in the table near the door so we can easily see Sasuke and Naruto. Sure enough, the two entered with Naruto looking around. Sakura raised her hand and waved. As soon as Naruto saw Sakura, he started walkin towards us and Sasuke followed.

As they walk over to us, Sasuke seems to be confused. But he doesn't look like he's going to bother asking Naruto. They both sat down in front of us. Naruto took the seat in front of us so Sasuke had no choice but to sit in front of me. I thought he'd feel uncomfortable sitting in the same table as her ex-girlfriend but he looks like he doesn't even care.

"Sakura-chan, did you bring what I asked of you last night?" Naruto spoke first. Then he seems like he remembered I'm here too so he turned to me. "Oh, hello, Hinata-chan!" He beamed at me.

"Hi, Naruto-kun." I smiled at him.

Then he turned back to Sakura, and she looks like she was surprised and then her expression turned apologetic. "I left it in my locker." She even slapped her forehead softly. Then she stand up and spoke in urgency. "Don't worry, I'll get it now."

Naruto suddenly stand up too. "I'll come with you then." Then he turned to Sasuke. "I'll see you later, teme." He looked at me and smiled. "We'll be back, Hinata-chan."

I nodded at him and Sakura, and they both walked out of the cafeteria. Once they were out of sight, I waited for Sasuke to start the conversation. When he didn't after a minute, I opened my mouth to speak but then he finally decided to speak. See why he's annoying?

"You asked Sakura to set us up? You must like me, huh?" He teased but with a serious tone. "Didn't I tell you to stay away from me?"

I heaved a huge breath and tried to stay calm. "Look, I just want to be friends."

"I don't want to be _friends_ with you if you like me." I don't know why and what for did he emphasize the word _friends_ but I just let it slip.

"I don't like you, okay? So can we be friends now?" I asked in a friendlier tone.

"Why do you want to be friends if you don't like me then? It's like saying you want to be friends with Karin." He answered with a poker face.

Once again, he managed to use my words against me. What's wrong with him going in circles? Sakura will surely be mad if I screw this up so I can't lose my temper again. I sighed and watched Sasuke fiddle with his bottle of water. "Fine, so I like you then. Now can we be friends?" I reminded myself of my favorite tip.

Sasuke shook his head and stand up. "No." Then he started walking away from me for the second time.


	25. Taking Actions

**Sorry it took so long! Anyway... Hope someone's still reading!**

 **All credits goes to Yves_Liong (writer from Wattpad) and Masashi Kishimoto (maker of Naruto).**

 **Warning: OOC characters**

 **-Itachi's Queen❤️**

* * *

 **Battling With A Hot Guy**

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 _ **29**_

Okay, something is definitely wrong with Sasuke. For the past few years, he had managed to irritate me by his actions but in those times, he wasn't mad at me. In fact, he seems to enjoy every minute of it. However, when he asked me stay away from him, for some reason, he seemed mad at me. And I can't figure out why.

After Sasuke left me, I remained in my seat, unaware of how I should react. But before I could decide, Sakura suddenly entered the cafeteria and approached me with furrowed forehead. I already know what she's going to say.

"Okay, what did you do?" She asked accusingly as she take a seat across me.

I knew it. "How did you know that something wrong happened?" I asked her suspiciously. "It's either ypu have an extremely sharp timing or you've just been eavesdropping with Naruto-kun."

"What are you talking about? Sasuke called Naruto just as we were about to start a conversation." She replied with a frown. Then she got back to interrogating me about what happened. "So what happened? Did you snap at him again?"

I frowned back at her. "What kind of friend are you? You're supposed to be on my side."

"I know. Why do you think I want you to win these battles?"

"Okay, so you are on my side. But why do you always assume that I'm the one at fault whenever something like this happens? Why can't you consider how extremely mean Sasuke has been lately?" I complained as I took a sip from my glass of water.

She raised her eyebrow at me. "Extremely mean? What do you mean?"

"He walked out on me again, just when I was trying hard to be nice to him. So what if I made a few white lies? It's not as if he never lied before." I let out a sigh. "And why is he so mad at me? I'm just trying to befriend him and he's acting like I'm already succeeding in our plan. You know what? I think we should just forget it. It's hopeless anyway."

"What? No! We should go on because it's a perfect plan. So what if it didn't work out twice? It will work out next time!" She suddenly replied with widened eyes.

I shook my head. "No, it wouldn't. He really doesn't like me, Sakura-chan. He already said so. He wants me to stay away from him. I don't know about you but that really hurt my pride. I don't want hear it again from the same person." I do hate Sasuke but it still hurt me when he shooed me like a beggar asking for alms.

Suddenly, I saw Sakura's face brighten and straighten her sit. "Hinata-chan." She started excitedly as I stare at her curiously. "What if I tell you I have an idea why Sasuke is treating you that way?"

"And how would you have an idea?" I asked her not hiding my skeptical tone. I doubted she learned it from Naruto because from what I remembered, Sasuke didn't even tell Naruto how he stole Gaara's rose for me so it was a big possibility that Sasuke didn't tell him about how he feels towards me.

"Well, I just got the idea after Naruto told me that when Sasuke came back after he went somewhere with you the day after Valentine's day, he wasn't himself for quite some times. And because of that, I formulated a theory. I think that Sasuke is punishing you away because he must have realized you really like Gaara. He probably thought that he should give you up because you don't like him at all, and it is Gaara you like instead."

And just after she said all those, I laughed hysterically. I couldn't help it, it all sounded like a joke. "Are we even talking about the same person? Are you seriously telling me that _**THE**_ Uchiha Sasuke who never failed to annoy me since kindergarten, the same Sasuke who played with your feelings, is actually a very sensitive person who cares about **_MY_** feelings?" Instead of laughing out loud and declaring it was all a joke, Sakura raised a brow at me, signaling that she was serious about her little back story. "That's just not possible, Sakura-chan. I would rather believe that he was doing it to make a fool out of me."

Then her smile got even bigger. "Then maybe that's just it!" My forehead knotted. "Maybe he's pushing you away so you will continue liking Gaara even though he just played with you. In that way, you'll seem like a fool. But whatever it really is, it all involved Gaara. That is why you have to show Sasuke you don't have feelings for Gaara!"

"But what if I do have feelings for Gaara?"

She looked at me with disbelief. "What? How can you like him after what he's done to you?" She asked me back.

"Then are you saying you don't like Sasuke anymore?" I replied with a smirk. "Sasuke played with your feelings too, right? So does that mean your feelings for him have died?"

"Okay, sos, maybe I still have feelings for Sasuke. But those feelings are not enough to make me a fool and take him back even if he never liked me at all. Or even if he did, till tricked me so it is possible for him to do it again so I'm not taking any chances."

When she saidthat, I remembered why I've always thought of Sakura as a really intelligent person. So I decided to accept her plan. "Fine. But how are we going to show Sasuke that I'm not interested in Gaara anymore? Or let alone, have them be in the same place at the same time?" I asked, assuming she already have a plan since she was able to come up with this whole idea of hers.

Her smile turned sheepish. "Actually, I still haven't thought of how to make it happen. I was hoping we can think of it now." She remarked as she rested her chin on her right hand. "What do you think? Do you have any ideas?"

I shok my head. It's hard to accomplish that plan since Sasuke doesn't belong to our class and he doesn't really seem friendly towards Gaara. "It's going to be hard to think of something to make Sasuke and Gaara be present in the same place." I complained with a sigh.

Just then, a group of girls passed by our table talking about the basketball varsity's championship game tomorrow. As soon as Sakura and I heard them, she and I looked at each other and knew that we both share the same idea. But to confirm it, Sakura mentioned hers.

"Gaara and Sasuke-kun are both varsity players, right?" She said with a grin and so I nodded. "Then they'll both be there tomorrow. So ypu can do it tomorrow after the game."

Having confirming the same thought, I nodded at her in agreement. "That's percfect because I think Karin will be there too!" I told her as we stand up from our seats.

It was almost time for class so we headed there, discussing about the possible outcomes we would get for tomorrow. She was anticipating that Sasuke would definitely go for me after I brush Gaara off. Since she knows Sasuke well enough, I did not bother to argue that he did not really like me because after all, our plan is to make him fall for m, so I should at least be optimistic about it. But what I did anticipate is Karin's reaction which would probably be shocked because her scheme of making me fall for Gaara completely failed.

When we got to the room, I noticed a boquet of roses on the table where I usually sits. Thinking it is for me, I walked over and picked them up. I assume that it's from Gaara who wants to ask for my forgiveness. But when I sas the card attached to it, I found out it's for Karin from Uchiha Sasuke. My brow automatically rose.

"Who's that from?" Sakura asked as she took her seat.

I was about to answer her when Karin suddenly appeared beside me and snatched the boquet away from me. "Why are you touching my things?!" She shouted angrily, her left eyebrow rising as she face me. I was going to explain when I opened my mouth but she cut me when she spoke again. "You must be jealous because Sasuke-kun gave me roses. After all, behidn your mission to ruin him, you like him too, don't you?"

I stopped myself from laughing about her thoughts of me liking the Uchiha. Normally, when I was treated like this, I just stay calm and silent but because I am tired of being pushed around by Karin, especially for things that I'm not even responsible for, I decided to answer back. "Why would I be jealous? Am I stupid? Sasuke already gave me a rose and a box of chocolates last Valentine's so why would I be jealous about you receiving a boquet of roses in an ordinary day?"

Even Sakura was surprised by what I said. She didn not know that those were from Sasuke because I lied saying they were from Gaara but I was too preoccupied by Karin then to remember so I forgot about it. Luckily, she didn't choose that moment to accuse me of lying to her then.

It took Karin a moment before she responded. "So it's true then, the rumors about you sabotaging your bestfriend's love life to stole her boyfriend for yourself. You do like Sasuke-kun and you are the reason why they broke up." She spoke loudly, getting the attention of everyone in the room.

Suddenly, I regretted saying the things I said. Now she was able to turn them against me. I turned to Sakura for help. She didn't speak though, probably upset by my lie. Feeling defeated, I was going to just leave the room when Gaara suddenly joined the scene.

"No, it's not true because I placed those in Hinata's locker, not Sasuke. I just signed Sasuke's name to annoy her knowing how much she hates Sasuke." He said as he approached Karin who is glaring at him evily.

Because of the topic revolving on Sasuke, more and more people came into the classroom even though they doesn't belong to our class. And as I watch them, I noticed that behind one of them is Sasuke himself. Suddenly, I found the perfect opportunity to bring our plan into action. Sasuke, Karin and Gaara are all there, and Sakura would definitely feel better if I do it now so I did.

"No, Gaara. Don't lie. It was really Sasuke who placed the rose and the chocolates in my locker. And it's true, I do like Sasuke."

I said as sincerely as I could.


	26. Dating

**So the flamer is back! Welcome back, sister! Thanks for wasting your time commenting here. :)**

 **Anywayyy...**

 **Sorry for the cliffhanger the last update! Hehe. It is confusing, isn't it? This story is made to confuse, and later on you'll understand what and why the scenes are like this. Anyway, hope you like this one!**

 **Also, I apologize for typo errors, wrong spellings, and the such. I have no beta whatsoever and I am also busy with work so I have no time to proofread. Thank you for understanding!**

 **Oh! And please tell me if Sasuke is going out of character. I know Hinata is but I want Sasuke to be in character as much as possible.**

 **Thank you for those who are still reviewing and reading this story! Love you, guys! ❤️**

 **Credits to Yves_Liong (writer from Wattpad) and Masashi Kishimoto (maker of Naruto).**

 **-Itachi's Queen**

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 **Battling With A Hot Guy**

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 _ **30**_

It was almost amusing the way my intentional confession brought about different expressions on each person who was able to hear me. Even though most of what I expected happened, I was still surprised at what occurred next. Karin's jaw dropped, Gaara's eyes widened with surprise and confusion, and Sakura looked like she was hiding a smile. When I turned to Sasuke, I couldn't read his expression.

To tell you honestly, after being treated harshly by Sasuke twice, I actually expect him to do the same right at this very moment. As Karin snap back to reality and grasp what I just said, she turned to Sasuke with a question. "What can you say about this, Sasuke-kun? Did you really give Hinata presents?"

And I knew I was right as his usual smirk formed from his lips and a glint is present in his eyes. Even though he's still not speaking, I wanted to kill him already because I know he is going to ruin everything big time. But of course, I can't do that, so I just remained standing in my spot holding back my urge as he answer Karin.

"No, I didn't give her presents during Valentine's." He said, approaching us. Upon hearing that, Karin already has a victorious smile etched on her lips. I couldn't help but galre at Sasuke. I opened my mouth to oppose his lie but before I did, he continued speaking. "Actually, I gave Hyuuga more than just presents that day. I also gave her a proposal to be my girlfriend, and it is still unanswered until now."

In my entire life, this is the first time I was rendered really speechless and mind boggled. Did Uchiha Sasuke really just took my side? And did he just say he asked me to be his girlfriend!?

The answer I am seeking can already be seen on Karin's face which had undergone a 180 degree change from a victorious smile to a horrified expression. And so I decided to infuriate Uzumaki Karin even more. I'm going to ride along with Sasuke since he just helped me out.

"I said I'd think about it, right? Let me answer you now then. I do want to be your girlfriend, Uchiha Sasuke." I remarked bravely, making the people gasp.

Upon hearing that, it was evident that Karin is fuming inside. She instantly turned to Sakura with a snap. "Aren't you going to say anything about this? Your bestfriend had just destroyed your love life!" Karin let out seethingly, the same way villains does in the movies whenever they find out their plan had just crumbled down to pieces, yet they were desperately trying to revive it.

Karin made the wrong move because why would Sakura help her when it is Sakura herself who wants to get revenge in the first place? Sakura smiled mockingly at Karin. "I do have something to say." She turned to us and looked around. "To everyone here, I want you all to know that I support Hinata-chan and Sasuke-kun. I am happy for them. So I hope that the rumor about Hinata-chan ruining my relationship with Sasuke-kun ends here."

Sakura turned around again to face Karin. She smirked triumphantly as she sees Karin's horrified expression.

If the bell hadn't rung after a minute, the people crowded our classroom would probably have stayed even longer. However, the bell rung, so everyone was gone and only those who belong in our class were left. Karin, being one of them, stayed where she stood for a moment glaring at me and Sakura angrily. Sasuke stayed behind too even though he belongs to another class, and because of this I wasn't too scared about Karin's actions. What could she do when Sasuke is watching her?

Suddenly, Sasuke grabbed my right hand and started pulling me out of the door so I didn't have much time to check on Gaara. Instead, my mind is focused on what Sasuke is going to do with me. It could be he is going to confront me about the things I just said or it could be to save me from Karin's piercing glare. Either one, I am still curious as to why he helped me out there considering he made it clear he wants me to stay away from him.

As we walk out of the room, our teacher is already at the doorway, and upon seeing us she asked me where I am going. She is looking at me firmly but when she turned to Sasuke, she actually gave him a smile.

I opened my mouth to answer but Sasuke beat me to it. "I just need to talk to Hinata. Can you excuse her for a minute?" Sasuke demanded, not requested, demanded really. Jerk.

Like I expected, the teacher smiled and nodded. "Sure, just don't take too long." She said in a sweet tone which I have never heard her use before in our class.

Once she entered the room completely, Sasuke pulled me to the hallways. I am unaware of where he is taking me. But soon I found out that we are back to the same classroom where I spent my terrible valentine with Sasuke. The very same one where I saw Karin and Gaara planning against me.

He finally let go of my hand and faced me. "Why are we here?" I asked demanding an answer.

"We need to discuss something." He answered in his usual serious tone as he took a seat and ushered me to take one too.

I obeyed with a nervous feeling. I'm actually afraid that he'll confront me on why I agreed to be his girlfriend or why I told everybody he gave me a rose and chocolates when in fact I am not really sure up to this point if he really gave me those.

"You agreed to be my girlfriend, right? So we have to discuss about how to go about in our relationship."

I stared at him for a moment and the next second, I couldn't help but laugh at what he just said. Even though Sakura and I planned it, did he actually believe me when I said that I agree to be his girlfriend? "What are you talking about?" I asked but then I remembered that this indeed is our plan, to be Uchiha Sasuke's girlfriend, so I added another line. "Shouldn't we just treat each other the way we always do?"

He shook his head. "I'm talking about our rules in dating."

"Rules? Why do we need rules in dating? We're not playing a game here, you know." I replied with a frown.

"Haven't you read the book entitled Rules in Dating?" He asked as if I'm missing out on something big.

I raised a brow at him. "No, I haven't. What is it about?"

He smirked. "I've never read it. But the title implies we should have our own."

Seeing no point in arguing with him since he is stubborn in nature, I decided to just agree. "Fine, let's have our own." I replied starting to brainstorm on what rules we could use to get this over with. I'm actually itching already spending one on one time with the heart breaker.

Sasuke started talking again. "Get a paper and pen, and write down the rules. I'll dictate them." He ordered.

And being me, I objected. "Are you saying you're the only one who's going to make the rules? No way! That's unfair."

"Why is it unfair? I was the one who asked you to be my girlfriend." He pointed out which started to annoy me.

"But I wouldn't be your girlfriend if I didn't say yes in the first place." I reasoned.

"Okay then, you can make one rule. So think about it carefully."

"Hey! Why do I get only one? Make it three." I demanded.

"No, it's one or nothing."

Since I find it fun, I wanted to argue more but checking my watch, I saw it had been ten minutes since the bell rung. Knowing my teacher, she will definitely punish me if I'm even more late. I sighed and glared at Sasuke. "Fine, I get one rule. Can we now finish this? We're running really late."

Sasuke nodded. "I only have three rules." I nodded at him to urge him to continue. "One, you can't have other guys while dating me. Two, you have to call me once a day. Three, you have to do everything I say when we're together."

Of course I am going to complain. "Hey! I'm not your slave!" I exclaimed at him with widened eyes.

But he, as usual, doesn't care about what I said. He continued to speak in a half-serious tone. "Failure to follow or objection to these rules shall result to a punishment decided by me." Then he stopped and looked at me with a smirk. "Now it's your turn."

I opened my mouth to argue with his rules but he started looking at his watch reminding me that my teacher is so going to punish me. I looked at him seriously, and then stated my one and only rule. "No hugging or kissing." I stood up from my seat. "So can I go now?"

"The rules apply starting now. Don't forget to call me later." He responded with his annoying smirk.

I ignored him and quickly run to my classroom. Unfortunately, I arrived 20 minutes late and the teacher indeed punished me. I should have brought Sasuke with me to soften her. I was asked to stand at the back of the room until the end of the class. After class, I feel so tired.

I started walking over to Sakura but Gaara suddenly approached me.

"Hey, what did you just do earlier? Are you out of your mind? If you want to get back at me, don't involve other people. Why do you have to lie to Sasuke?" He said in an angry tone.

I was actually a patient person.

Well... Dealing with Uchiha Sasuke since kindergarten made me a patient person. I know that I shouldn't be bothered by what Gaara said but if I don't set him straight now, he might ruin our plan.

"Aren't you a bit too full of yourself? I didn't do that because I'm mad at you. I never liked you, Gaara, so leave me alone." I told him.

His facial expression was like I threw cold water at him. Was what I said cruel? What he did was more cruel, right?


	27. Conflicts

**Thank you, my lovely readers!**

 **Credits to Yves_Liong (writer from Wattpad) and Masashi Kishimoto (maker of Naruto).**

 **Warning: OOCness**

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 **Battling With A Hot Guy**

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 _ **31**_

As I said those words, Gaara looked at me with critical eyes. As if he is looking for any signs of weakness in me. It annoyed me even more. How could he be so sure that I got hurt badly by what he did? He is like Uchiha Sasuke, too full of himself.

"What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that? You think that just because you're responsible for my first valentine, I'd like you already? You're not the only one responsible for that. Sasuke also took part that day. Are you trying to say that I like you because you gave me a cake? Sasuke gave me a cake too, and it happened to be my favorite. What else did you do that makes you think I like you? So you protected me from Karin once, but was that even for real? If it was, well, Sasuke also protected me from Karin by letting me know the scheme you two were trying to pull on me even before you confessed. In fact, Sasuke saved and protected me a lot of times." I remarked coldly.

He frowned at me. "You mean, you already knew yet you didn't confront me?" He asked, his tone much more calm than before.

For some reason, I just knew how to answer him coldly, even though I barely treated people this way. I guess it was because I really hated what he did to me. "Why do I need to confront you? I knew that you were going to quit anyway since it wasn't worth your time, right? Would you leave me alone if I offer you money?" I knew what I said is too harsh when I saw the slight look of hurt in Gaara's eyes.

He shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe you are acting this way." He said, then started to turn away from me but then he suddenly turned back with a disappointed expression. "You want to know why spending time with you isn't worth all the debt I had from Karin? It was because I thought nothing could replace your trust in me. I cared for you more than my debt on her but I guess you'll never see that."

After he said that, he left the room. Even though I felt bad for hurting his feelings, I didn't stop him. I know Sabaku Gaara doesn't really make contact with lots of people the way he did for me. He was untouchable even before we became friends, now I see the impact I had on him. But I still couldn't forgive him. I just watched him leave.

When Gaara is totally gone, Sakura approached me, she called my attention by tapping my shoulder. When she noticed my sad expression, she gave me a reassuring smile. "You did the right thing." She said in an encouraging tone.

I know that she was right, so I tried to shake those thoughts away and managed to cheer up until the end of the day. In fact, my mood is better as I walk towards my locker after class. Ino is waiting for me there with an impatient look on her face. Suddenly, I tried to recall whether or not I am supposed to meet her.

"Hina!" She exclaimed excitedly, her expression changing upon seeing me walking closer to her.

When I reached her, I raised my brow at her. "What's up?" I asked immediately.

"What's up? You just got yourself a boyfriend and you're acting like nothing's up?" She remarked. "So tell me, is it for real or is it just part of your plan?"

I gave her a smile. "What do you think, Ino-chan? Wil you believe me if I tell you it's for real?" I answered mischievously.

She returned my smile. "Okay, you're right. You couldn't have done it for real. But still, Sasuke did save you so I thought you might have had a change of heart?"

"You were there?" I asked, surprised since I didn't see her.

"Of course, I was! I'm always where the action is!" She answered with a grin.

"Then I'm sorry for treating Gaara badly. You like him, right? I hope you understand that I had to do that." I said, thinking that she might have been upset with my actions against Gaara.

"Oh, no. Don't apologize. He deserved what he got earlier. He should have known better than to fool you and associate with the likes of Karin, the biggest bitch in school. I don't like him anymore." She said in a serious expression. "And it's really annoying how Sai tries to alter my thoughts about Gaara. Saying Gaara is forced to act by moral standard of paying back a debt or something. Shouldn't he just be glad that I don't like his friend anymore and make a move on me now?"

I couldn't help but laugh at Ino's statement. "You like Sai now, do you?" I asked her with a grin.

She blushed deeply. "What? What are you talking about? I'm just trying to analyze his actions. After all, I do have the right to do so since I'm his friend." She remarked quickly.

Even though she wouldn't say it, I know the answer is obvious now. Why else is she wearing that pink bandana Sai gave her? "I was just asking because you sound like you do. But I guess not." I answered otherwise, not wanting to annoy her by insisting. I knew that in time, she'll admit it. "Anyway, I have to go home now so I'll just talk to you tomorrow, okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I should get going too. But before I go, I just want to tell you to be careful with your plan. That's the real reason why I waited here for you. Be careful, okay? Think of it this way, all your previous plans against Sasuke seemed foolproof but they all backfired on you. It might happen again if you're not really careful." She said, her tone dead serious. But when she finished her cheery expression returned. "Anyway, I'm leaving! I still have to meet Sai or something. See you tomorrow!"

She waved at me as she left and I waved back. Afterwards, Sakura arrived and we started towards our home. As we walk, Sakura seem like she has questions to ask but something is stopping her. Having a feeling I know what it was, I decided to start a conversation.

"He asked me.. No, he implied that we should have rules in dating." I said, knowing she is anxious about what happened when Sasuke and I left the classroom.

She immediately lit up she she turn to me with a raise brow. "Rules in dating? What for?"

I knew it, typical Sakura. "He said that it's because of this book so he thought it's a good idea. Isn't he weird?"

She disagreed, somehow, whenever it came to Sasuke matters she often sided with Sasuke. And she actually said she doesn't like the guy anymore. "No, he isn't. I think it's rather cute. What are the rules you agreed upon?"

I scowled as soon as it was opened. "I have no right to disagree in the first place. The first rule is fine since it really isn't nice if I go with other guys while dating him but the second rule is actually absurd! He actually wants me to call him everyday!" I complained.

"What's wrong with calling him?" She asked as she laughed at my reaction.

"What's wrong? Have you completely forgotten how our conversations usually end up?" I asked her sarcastically.

She shook her head. "That's not a problem, Hina-chan. Look at me and Naruto, I'm getting used to his loud voice. Just give it a time."

"But there's a difference between you and Naruto and me and Sasuke. You and Naruto are friends. Sasuke and I are not, never have been, never going to be as well. Everything he says just angers me."

"That's because you hate him too much. Stop hating him and you'll feel different." She adviced.

Is she serious? "If I stop hating him, why would I continue to date him? I'm only dating him because of revenge, remember?"

"I know that. But think about it, you can't possibly work this plan out if you continue hating him that way. At least let your guard down a bit. Or you might end up telling him you're doing all this to get revenge." She pointed out in a serious tone.

Seeing her point, I let out a sigh. "Fine, I'll try to treat him better." I finally agreed.

After that, we went our separate ways. When I got home, I debated with myself on whether or not to call Sasuke. I'm not exactly afraid of the punishment he'll give me if I don't call him because I know no matter what punishment he could come up, it would be something very light and immature. But then I promised Sakura I'd try to be nicer to him.

So I took my phone from my pocket and dialled his number.

 _"Hello?"_ Sasuke's voice spoke after two rings.

"It's me, Hinata." I said, trying to sound nice.

 _"Hn. You must really miss me to call so soon."_ He replied and I could only imagine the smug smirk plastered on his face.

"Ha-ha. Very funny. Look, you just told me to call, right? There's no need to say anything so I'll hang up now okay?" I said in a bored tone.

 _"Wait, I have something to ask you. Remember the third rule? I want you to do something for tomorrow's basketball game."_ His voice turned a little more serious.

"What?" I asked anxiously, wanting to hang up immediately.

 _"I want you to hold up a big banner for me. Write something like 'Go hubby, Sasuke!' or something of the sorts."_ He replied seriously, but I already knew he's smirking on the other line.

"What?! No way!" I exclaimed instantly.

He let out a sigh, as if disappointed with my answer. Then he threatened me in an annoying tone. _"If you don't do it, you'd be breaking a rule. If you're going to then I'll break your rule as punishment."_

Finding no way out, I finally agreed. "Fine." I wouldn't want his hands or lips anywhere near me now, would I? But I decided that two could play the game. "But you have to do something for me too. On tomorrow's game, I want you to shoot 30 shots."

He suddenly chuckled. Wow. Well, that was a nice, manly chuckle. Wait. What? Focus, Hinata. _"Hyuuga Hinata, do you even watch basketball? An average player can shoot about 5-10 shots a game."_ He said in a knowing tone. _"And besides, you can't ask me to do something because there's no rule that says you can."_

Ignoring his second statement, I spoke. "But everyone says you're the best player in the team. That means you're more than average. So prove it to me. See, I really think you're overrated." I really do think he's overrated. "But to make it easier, just shoot 25, and I'll believe that you're the best player."

He still didn't agree. _"Forget it."_ He responsed.

"Fine, I'm hunging up."

After that I didn't wait for Sasuke to say anything. I just hung up and decided to prepare the stupid banner.

The next day, I tried to hide my rolled-up banner as I walk across the hallway to get to my locker. I know that if Sakura or Ino sees me, they would be suspicious about it. And seriously, I am too ashamed to answer. I'd rather they just see it when the time comes, and I am lucky because neither of them saw me. After putting the locker in my locker, I took my books and went to the classroom.

Why was it when a person wanted time to go faster, it would go otherwise? And the same went for someone who wanted time to go slower. See, I am dreading the basketball game because I know Sasuke is going to make a fool out of me because of that stupid banner. Unfortunately, time really came quickly.

Like the first varsity game a couple of weeks ago, our afternoon classes are cancelled for the whole school to watch and support the team. As Sakura and I walk towards the gym, I suddenly remembered that I'm not holding the banner.

"Hey, Sakura-chan, can you go ahead? I need to get something in my locker." I said, starting to turn around.

"Alright, I'll just save a seat for you."

I nodded in thanks and sped up to my locker and took her banner. Upon heading back to gym, more and more people are going there too. So I found it hard to enter. When I got in, the game already started. The other team is ahead by 10 points. I quickly searched for Sakura and took my seat.

"What's happening?" I asked her, seeing a frown on her face.

She turned to me. "Hina-chan, Sasuke can't shoot since Gaara won't pass the ball to him." Sakura said franctially.

I focused on the game. Sai called for a time-out. Having been seated a row behind the bench, I was able to hear what he said.

"What are you doing?" Sai asked Gaara in a serious tone.

It's the first time I have ever seen him angry and it definitely doesn't look good.


	28. Second game

**Credits to Yves_Liong (author from Wattpad) and Masashi Kishimoto (maker of Naruto).**

 **Warning: OOCness**

 **-Itachi's Queen ️**

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 **Battling With A Hot Guy**

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 _ **32**_

It wasn't just Sai who was angry at the moment. In fact, everyone except for Sasuke was crowding towards Gaara with an angry expressions. It was just like what happened during their first game, except it's Gaara this time. I guess that the whole team had Sasuke's back all the time.

"What's wrong with you, Gaara?!" Sai continued to ask him, still not changing his tone. "I know you're mad at Sasuke but this is a game. We've all agreed as a team to set aside personal issues when we're inside the court. If you can't control your emotions, then I can't let you go back to the court."

While Sai is talking, Gaara is just looking at the ground. But when Sai finished, Gaara looked up and faced Sai. "Set aside personal issues? Was that what you did in our first game when you refused to let Sasuke play?" He revealed to everyone. "That's not what you did. You were overcome with your desire to meet Ino that you agreed not to let Sasuke play, even if it would bring us to our first loss."

Everyone who heard were surprised by Gaara's revelation, even Sai and I though we already knew about it. I guess we never thought that Gaara would rot us out like that. Sai, having heard that, became even angrier. Luckily, Ino was sitting on the front row. She instantly stood up and hurried to Sai before he could do something irrational, like attacking Gaara.

"Sabaku Gaara, don't bring up the past! The incident that happened in the first game was already resolved. Why don't you just sit quietly if you can't control your emotions?" Ino remarked defendingly.

Probably seeing that he has no chance of winning, Gaara suddenly pushed past the people from his left and started to walk towards the exit of the gym. As he did, everyone was murmuring among themselves. Those who were seated were they couldn't possibly hear what Sai and Gaara were saying were all wondering why Gaara left the court. The others who have heard were reacting to the fight between the two, knowing how close those two are, and how the team was going to win after losing one of its best players.

I turned to see how Sasuke is taking this, since he was the cause of all these. But typical Sasuke, he isn't even a bit upset. Instead, he has a smirk as he look at me. He seems to be reminding me of something. Then I remembered. He wants me to use my banner now.

Sakura, whose focus also tuned to Sasuke, suddenly asked me what Sasuke is saying. "Why is he looking at you like that?" She said with a confused expression. I didn't answer her, but in turn, I moved my eyes towards the banner in my lap for her to notice. "What's that?"

"Promise me you won't laugh." I said as I slowly started unrolling the banner. She didn't answer. She just continued to look at the banner as I open it. when she finally saw the words written, she burst out laughing. It was a good thing the time-out was over so everyone's back to cheering for the team that they weren't able to hear Sakura's laughter. "Hey, I told you not to laugh!"

She didn't stop. "C'mon, use it now. Maybe it will encourage Sasuke to win this game for us." She responded as she tries to raise my hands that grip the ends of the banner.

"No, let's wait for later." I spoke, not wanting to embarrass myself just yet.

"Don't you want the team to win?" She asked me as she continues to move my hands upward.

Seeing how I have to do it anyway, I lifted my banner for all to see. For a few seconds, no one seem to notice it. But then Sasuke was able to shoot and after he did, he turned to me and raised a thumbs up with right hand, causing for everyone to look towards me in curiosity. I knew that he did that on purpose.

As eyes darted towards me, then people were reacting differently. Some were cheering excitedly, convinced that I was serious when I agreed to be Sasuke's girlfriend. Some were looking at Sakura, probably expecting her to feel bad or something along those lines. But what really caught my attention was Karin. She is glaring at me as she sat in front of me across the court.

"Don't worry, that's all she can do." Sakura assured me upon seeing me look at Karin.

Turning away from Karin, I focused back on the game. Sasuke managed to shoot another point. "Hey, how many shots has Sasuke managed to do?" I asked Sakura.

"I think it's only three, since Gaara wouldn't pass him the ball. But it's just the first quarter. There's thirty more minutes to go." She replied, surprised that I was interested in knowing about Sasuke.

When the first quarter ended, Sasuke already has four shots. Suddenly, I regretted saying he has to shoot twenty shots. I should have made it thirty. No, thirty-five. But then, no one ever managed to shoot twenty shots before, not even Sasuke. His highest record was on 15, so he probably wouldn't be able to do it.

While all the other players were busy drinking water and encouraging each other, Sasuke took out his cellphone and started fidgeting with it. And soon, my cellphone started vibrating. I took it out, knowing exactly that it was him.

 **[Sasuke: Hey, what kind of support are you giving? I want you to shout a cheer too as you hold that banner, got it?]**

His message said. I turned to him, he was looking at me with his infamous smirk. I shook my head and mouthed a **'No.'** He sent another message.

 **[Sasuke: It's your decision. Just remember, it's my decision too, whether I want to follow your rule or not.]**

I glared at him but I had no choice so when the next quarter started, I begun shouting a cheer for Sasuke. "GO, SASUKE! SHOOT THAT BALL!"

As I expected, Sakura was once again surprised. "Are you alright? First, you made a banner then you're asking about how he was doing at the game and now, you're cheering for him too? Tell me the truth, you like him now, do you?" She grinned excitedly.

I was going to remind her about Rule #3 when I remembered that I didn't get the chance to tell her yesterday. "Are you crazy? Didn't I tell you before? I won't fall for someone like him. I'm just doing this because he asked me to. And I have no choice but to follow him." I explained defensively. Then I got back to cheering. Somehow, Sakura wasn't convinced with my answer but luckily, she didn't attempt to continue asking. Instead, she joined me and the majority of the crowd in cheering for Sasuke.

After the second quarter, Sasuke already made nine shots. That was why as he drink water, his teammates were all over him, asking him why he's playing extra hard today. "What's up with you, did you eat something good or what? Why don't you share it with us?" They teased him as they push him jokingly.

Sasuke played along. "You really want me to share my secret energy source?" He said as he pretended to be hesitant. "I can't do that."

"Why not? What is it anyway?" They urge him to spill.

He let out a smirk. "My wifey." He simply replied, looking at me with a smirk. I glared at him, annoyed by the fact that he was acting so mushy towards me in front of a lot of people.

Sakura nudged me. "Hey, stop doing that. Remember our plan." She reminded me as I glare at Sasuke.

"Look at how he's acting! He's..." I started to say but I couldn't find the right term to describe Sasuke's annoying act. It was obvious that he was just trying to get on my nerves.

"He's just acting the way normal boyfriends do. Have you forgotten that you're his girlfriend right now? So act like it." Sakura hissed at me.

I stopped glaring at Sasuke. "Fine." I said, raising my banner again as the third quarter is starting. And in my loudest voice ever, I once again cheered for Sasuke. "GO, SASUKE! FIGHT-O!"

Unfortunately, the other team finally learned that Sasuke is our school's star player (they were really slow, not noticing how everyone has been screaming Sasuke's name from the start), and started guarding Sasuke with two players. In fact, they were so focused on him that Sai was able to shoot five shots while Sasuke only managed to do shots after the third quarter. But it didn't matter since our team is still leading by six points.

I was actually happy since Sasuke was only able to do two shots in the third quarter, that meant he still need nine more to make twenty in one quarter (or should I say, ten minutes). Seeing how he could only shoot a maximum of five per quarter, and considering the fact that he is being heavily guarded by the opponent, I'm certain he wouldn't be able to do it.

In an attempt to rub it on him, I sent him a message as he and his teammates were having thei water break in between quarters.

 **[Me: I told you, you can't shoot twenty points in a game. It's too bad though, if you were able to, I would have gone somewhere with you after the game as a reward. But I don't think that will happen. Too bad!]**

I typed proudly.

Upon reading my message, I expected him to reply or at least look at me. But he didn't. Instead, he started talking to Sai and his other teammates and their voices were so low that I couldn't overhear. Then they went back to the court and started the last quarter.

Since it's fourth quarter, Sai was the one who shoot a lot of points, he is now the one being heavily guarded. Sasuke was left with only one, but a tough one. And so, for the first two minutes, the other team was able to catch up with them. Because of this, the cheers started to die down and almost all the people has worried look on their faces. It really seem like we are going to lose for the first time.

But then something happened. Suddenly, the player guarding Sasuke had a penalty with a technical foul and was fouled out. Having the freedom he did during the first quarter, Sasuke is back on a roll. He is able to shoot six shots for the next five minutes, returning the lead to our team. Once again, the crowd errupted in louder cheers and somehow this encouraged Sasuke even more he was able to shoot two more hoops for the next two minutes.

And when there's only three seconds left in the game, just when I thought he wouldn't be able to make his twentieth shot, he threw the ball and managed to succeed in a three point shot.


	29. First Date

**Well... I know I dont't have much readers but I promised I will finish this story.**

 **To** ** _Defender , _heyya! Thank you so much for your review! I agree with you! Why don't they just leave the site if they don't like seeing SasuHina stories? So funny that they waste their time flaming writers here. Haha. Anyway, this chapter is for you!  
**

 **Warning: OOCness**

 **All credits to Yves_Liong (writer from Wattpad) and Masashi Kishimoto (owner of Naruto).**

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 **Battling With A Hot Guy**

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When the buzzer signaling the end of the game went off, everyone stood up from their seats and rushed towards the court to show their admiration to Sasuke, who not only managed to score 43 points but also brought the championship to the team and the school.

But as everyone did, I wanted to do the otherwise. "I'm leaving!" I immediately told Sakura but she grabbed my left arm with a questioning expression on her face.

"Why? Everyone's celebrating! Why would you want to go?"

Honestly, I want to stay and at least congratulate Sai for the team's victory but I have to go because I do not want to keep my end of the bargain. I do not want to go on a real date with Uchiha Sasuke. "I just remembered I have to do something my father asked me to do. I'll just call you later, okay?" I answered hurriedly as I freed myself from her grip and rushed out of the gym.

As soon as I reached my locker, I sighed in relief knowing I escaped Sasuke. Plus he couldn't possibly say that I broke a rule since I was the one who suggested the date. Besides, I bet he wouldn't be able to get pass the crowd since he is the star. With a smile, took the books I need from my locker and started heading towards the school gates, humming cheerfully as I did.

However, when I reached the gates, there he was leaning against it as if he had been waiting for quite a while. He wasn't even wearing his jersey, instead he has his uniform on. There is absolutely no hint he just played basketball earlier.

"Where are you going?" He asked me with a frown as I neared him.

Seeing that I wouldn't be able to completely escape, I flashed a sheepish smile. "Hi! I was just about to send you a message to tell you I will meet you here but I guess you figured it out." I said with my most innocent voice. "Did you wait long?"

He didn't answer but instead looked me in the eye. "Let's go then."

"So where are we going?"

He smirked at me. "You think you can fool me? You were going to ditch me, weren't you?" He said the he grabbed my hand. "This is your punishment."

My eyes widened as I tried to take his grip off my me. "Why should I be punished? I didn't break any rules. You didn't order me to go with you so I do not need to." I complained.

"For trying to fool me and ditch me." He said with seriousness coating his voice.

I glared at him but he said nothing. He pulled me to walk beside him. I couldn't shrug his grip anyway. He only let my hand go when we stopped in front of a coffee shop. He turned to me and said, "You said I don't have the right to have a say about this date because you're the one who decided it, right?"

I nodded. "Yes, You can't tell me what to do or what not to do."

He smirked. "Alright. Don't forget you said that." He grabbed my hand again and pulled me inside the coffee shop. He led me to a table for two and we settled on our seats. "Shall we order?"

I know he is up to something but what is it? I have never been to a date my entire life but Sakura said whenever Sasuke and her are on a date, Sasuke always pays. So I decided to order the most expensive drink. "I want a cappucino frappe."

"Sound good." He nodded. He signaled for a waitress and he ordered for the both of us. He ordered an espresso and I knew from Sakura that Sasuke doesn't really like sweets. Well, he is an Uchiha. everyone knows Uchihas are vastly rich so even if I order the most expensive here, he wouldn't mind.

When our orders came, I excitedly sipped on my frappe. "Mm! This tastes as good as it costs."

Sasuke smirked. "Luckily, I'm not paying."

I raised a brow. "What do you mean? Why aren't you paying? Do you have a coupon or something?"

"No, I don't have a coupon. But you said earlier that you're the one who decided to have this date. Therefore, it's you who asked me out. Because it's you who asked me out, you're supposed to pay for our date."

"What?" My voice raised, maybe because of surprise and anger. "This is our first date and you're asking me to pay? I'm not paying for this."

Sasuke frowned. "You have to or we'll end up washing the dishes. I didn't bring any money."

"Stop joking around, Uchiha."

"I'm not joking. I really didn't bring money."

"Uchiha Sasuke, this isn't funny."

Just like that, my first date is totally ruined. "I'll try to do something." Sasuke signalled for the waitress and she immediately attended to us. "Hi, I'm Uchiha Sasuke." He suddenly introduced himself.

She immediately smiled sweetly. "I'm Kin. What can I do for you, Mr. Uchiha?" Are they really flirting in front of me? I started to feel like I want to erase that smile that is plastered in the waitress's lips.

"I am going straight to the point, is that alright?" The girl nodded still with that sickening sweet smile. "I may not be able to pay for our coffee. You see, my friend here just broke up with her boyfriend so she's been upset and depressed that's why I want to make her feel better so she won't scare off people. Unfortunately, I forgot my wallet at school."

Kin suddenly nodded. "Coffee really does soothe grumpy people." She remarked in agreement.

"So I was wondering if you'll be so kind to pay our bill for now and then I'll pay you back tomorrow."

"Well, I-"

Sasuke immediately cut up what she was going to say. "If you don't trust me, I'll leave my number to you."

I rolled my eyes at what he just said. Sasuke looked into the girl's eyes and she was suddenly possessed by something. She nodded immediately and smiled again. "Sure, just don't forget to pay up, okay?"

Kin turned and started walking away. As soon as she did, I stood up from my seat and rushed out of there not even bothering to see if Sasuke is following me. Once I was out, Sasuke suddenly appeared beside me but I continued walking.

"I told you I can solve the problem." He said with a smirk.

I glanced at him. "Who started it in the first place anyway? Who would be stupid enough not to bring a wallet when going on a date?" I said seriously but deep inside, I'm fuming.

"Why are you so angry? I managed to solve it without you having to pay, didn't I?" He replied. "Is it because I gave her my number while I'm with you? Don't worry I'm not _that_ stupid, it was Naruto's but it did saved us."

"I wasn't angry because you gave away your number! I don't care about that! I was angry because my very first date was ruined because of you!" I couldn't control my anger.

I turned and started half-running towards my house. I'm glad he decided not to follow me because I might really blow up.

That night I didn't bother calling him. Who cares if he's going to punish me? He already did anyway by ruining my first date. I needed someone to vent out to so I called Sakura instead.

"Sakura-chan, how could you have managed to have a jerk as a boyfriend?" I asked as soon as she picked up the phone.

 _"Hina-chan, stop exaggerating. What exactly happened?"_ She replied.

"I'm exaggerating? He took me to an expensive coffee shop for our first date and expected me to pay for our orders! He even flirted with a waitress so we could get out of that mess! Worst date ever!"

I really expected Sakura to side with me since she is a girl and girls expects a lot during first dates but instead she chuckled. _"You're not serious, are you?"_

"I won't be this hyped if I am not serious!" I yelled exhasperated.

 _"Hina, that's really impossible. Sasuke never took me out on a date and asked me to pay for it. Our first date is very memorable and fun."_

I sighed. "I guess he really hates me now."

 _"No way..."_

"Huh? What?"

 _"Maybe... Hinata... Do you think... He knows our plan?"_


	30. Real

**Well... I have nothing to do!**

 **So here it is!**

 **PS: I'm actually hoping that this chapter will confuse you more. Hehe.**

 **Tell me what you think! ;)**

 **Warning: OOC**

 **All credits goes to Yves_Liong (writer from Wattpad) and Masashi Kishimoto (owner of Naruto).**

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 **Battling With A Hot Guy**

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Believe me or not, I hardly had any sleep last night. I couldn't stop thinking about what Sakura said. There is definitely a possibility he knows. After all, he _is_ Uchiha Sasuke. He's intelligent, he's at the top of our batch. But _if_ he does knew, why would he agree to make me his girlfriend? Or if he just found out, then why didn't he just break up with me?

Suddenly, an idea formed inside my head. What if I just break up with him just before things get messy? Ino already warned us that it will eventually backfire. If Ino is right, it will really be messy. But Sakura will know and she'll be mad. Maybe I should just talk this out with Sakura. I'll just tell her that we should stop all of this.

As I was about to reach for my phone, which is lying on the table in front of me, it suddenly vibrated, signaling there is a new message.

And it came from him.

 **[Sasuke: You didn't call me yesterday. That means you broke one of my rules. As punishment, come to the school now.]**

I raised my brow at what I just read. Why should I go? Today is Saturday! And he just ruined my first ever date so he shouldn't demand! I decided to reply him.

 **[No way. Why would I go there to receive a punishment? If you want to punish me, come and get me. :P]**

But after I sent it, I realized I shouldn't have done that. What if he really decided to come here and kiss me while father and Neji-nii are here? This is Sasuke and he does the most unexpected things. To make things worse, the doorbell rang all of a sudden.

Thinking it really is him, I rushed down the stairs, hoping to overtake the maid from opening the door. But once I reached the bottom of the stairs, the maid already opened it, revealing a friend of my father.

As soon as I saw that it was someone else, I let out a sigh of relief and went back up to my room. I sent another message.

 **[I change my mind. I'm going there now.]**

After sending that, I changed my clothes and rushed towards school.

When I got to the gates, he was nowhere in sight. Instead, what I saw was a medium-sized Panda stuffed bear with a jersey on and was holding a folded note in its paw.

Curious as to what it is that Sasuke is up to, I cautiously looked around before I took the folded note and opened it.

 _"This isn't your punishment yet. Take me and start walking 20 steps ahead, then 10 steps to your left and 20 steps again to your right." -S.U._

What exactly is he up to? But since I get to keep the cute panda, I followed what he said in the note.

Once I took the last step, in front of me was a picnic blanket with different kinds of food arranged in a deliciously, mouth-watering manner.

"Wow." I whispered.

"Did you like it?" Sasuke suddenly spoke from behind me.

I turned to face him with a frown. "What are all these?" I remarked, pointing at the tempting sight and the cute panda. Somehow, I could already sense something very fishy about this. Sasuke couldn't possibly be doing things like these for no reason at all, could he?

He raised his eyebrow. "What do you mean? I told you already, didn't I? This is your punishment." He answered, walking past me and sitting down on the blanket.

"Punishment?" I asked in disbelief. And then it struck me. "Wait. You're going to let me watch you eat all these, are you?"

Suddenly, he chuckled. Which I find odd that he often does when he's around me nowadays. "I'm not that cruel."

Not convinced, I tried another idea. "Then, you're going to ask me to clean these up after eating?"

"Like I said, I'm not that cruel. Your punishment is just that you have to spend your Saturday with me." He explained. "Aren't you going to sit?"

I hesitantly sat across him, still suspicious of what his real motives are. Just yesterday, he made my first date a nightmare and now he's actually trying to make this seem like the perfect date. Then suddenly, another idea struck me. "Wait. You're doing this to make up for what happened yesterday, are you? You felt guilty for ruining our first date?"

"Who said we had our first date yesterday? This is our first date." He said as he picked an apple and took a bite out of it.

"Uh-huh? Then what do you call what happened yesterday? Didn't we go out on a date to a coffee shop?"

"Yesterday wasn't a date." He insisted. "I wasn't the one who asked you out so it wasn't a date. Yesterday doesn't count."

When he said that, I don't know why but my heart suddenly felt light. The same way it does whenever I watch a romantic scene from a drama. Could it be...?

No way! No! I shook the thought away quickly.

Uchiha Sasuke is the enemy. I must not falter. Not now. Not ever. I looked at the onigiri to flush my thoughts away. "This onigiri looks like it was done roughly. Did you make it?" I said trying hard to change the topic.

He went along with it. "No."

I picked the onigiri and took a bite. Wow. "Mm. No wonder you didn't make it. It tastes delicious."

"Really? What if I tell I really am the one who made it?"

"I won't believe you then. Don't you know that it's always the first thing a person says is the truth?"

Sasuke finished his apple and looked at me with interest. "Then if a person says he likes someone but breaks up with that someone, it wouldn't mean he doesn't like that someone anymore?" He asked, most probably referring to himself and Sakura.

"Yes, as long as he didn't lie when he said he liked her in the first place."

"But you just said that the first thing a person says is true." Once again, he managed to use my words against me.

"So are you saying that you really liked Sakura-chan?"

"Who said I was talking about Sakura?" He answered not looking the least bit bothered. "I'm just trying to prove you wrong. After all, if you're right then I wouldn't have agreed to make you my girlfriend after hearing you say you hate me no matter what, would I?"

Is he actually saying he believed me when I said I wanted to be his girlfriend in front of all those people? Was he really sincere about the mushy things he is doing for me? That's impossible. He's Uchiha Sasuke. He is not dumb. Maybe he's just trying to catch me off-guard? "How sure are you that I'm being sincere?" I let out.

"I'm not." He said with a shrug. "But what I know is you hate people who play with other people's feelings. So you couldn't possibly be turning into something you hate, right?"

I was taken aback by what he just he said.

Is Uchiha Sasuke right? Am I turning into someone I hate?


	31. Date aftermath

**To _Shikara Gizzel_ , I appreciate you leaving those short but cute reviews! Indeed it got me motivated! Thank you so much! **

**To _Gangname style X3_ , we will see! Hinata does seem like she's always going to explode whenver Sasuke is around, eh? XD  
**

 **To _in your dreams as well_ , maybe or maybe not! I hope you'll stay tuned to know what's really up! :)**

 **To _nanitaa_ , sorry for leaving you hanging! This chapter will probably keep you hanging again. I'm sorry!  
**

 **All credits to Yves_Liong (writer from Wattpad) and Masashi Kishimoto (owner of Naruto).**

 **Warning: As always, OCCness**

 **Itachi's Queen**

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 **Battling With A Hot Guy**

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 _"So that's why I couldn't contact you all day."_ Sakura-chan replied upon my telling her of Sasuke's _perfect first date'._ As soon as I got home, one of the maids told me that Sakura was on the phone and that she had been calling all day. _"Looks like he likes you again."_

For the first time, I am going to agree with her concerning Sasuke. "Yeah, it look like he does. Listen, I've been thinking, since we've confirmed that he likes me now, maybe it's time for me to break up with him." I bravely said.

 _"No! It's not yet time!"_ She answered, almost immediately. _"We're not even sure if he really, really likes you again. If we end this too soon, it will be useless. We need to find the right moment, Hinata-chan. That moment where he's fallen hopelessly in love with you. We need to put a scar on him."_

"But how can he not like me now? For the first time in like ever, Sasuke isn't doing something that will annoy me. Isn't that enough?" I tried to convince my bestfriend. I can't possibly tell her the real reason why I want to break with Uchiha Sasuke.

I can now imagine her shaking her head no. _"No, it's not enough, okay? He's done a lot of sweet things for me too, didn't he? And yet, he never loved me."_ She pointed out. _"Look, Hina, I know that he just made your first date really sweet and memorable, but it's just a first date. We need more signs."_

She had a point there, it wasn't enough. Sasuke isn't really a predictable person. Who knew if he was just playing with me too, right? "Fine, so I won't break up with him yet. But when will I?" I finally asked, seeing how she is the expert here.

 _"Don't worry about it. When I feel the time is right, I'll tell you, okay? For now, just enjoy the new way he's treating you. You must admit, he's not the jerk you've always known him to be, right?"_ She suddenly began teasing me.

Considering how he made up for the worst date ever, fine, he's not that bad anymore. But he's still not as good as how Sakura claimed him to be. "Well, he improved a little for me. Wait. Why do you seem like you want me to fall for him?"

 _"Hey, I'm just trying to make you see how it feels like to be with Sasuke-kun so you'll stop calling me crazy for falling for him."_ She defended then someone suddenly called her from the background. _"Hina-chan, I need to go. Naruto is on the other line. I'll talk to you again soon, okay? Bye!"_

After Sakura hang up the phone, I decided to go call Sasuke now before he accuse me of breaking the rules again. He might really punish me by breaking my rule next time.

After a few rings, he finally answered. _"Hello? Who is this?"_

Wasn't it weird how he made a rule saying I have to call him everyday, and yet he didn't even saved my number. Shouldn't he at least anticipate my calls? "It's me" I answered in annoyance. "Can't you even tell?"

 _"How can I when you haven't speak?"_

"You should have at least an idea. You're the one who told me to call you everyday." I rolled my eyes, glad he couldn't see me.

He suddenly chuckled lightly. _"I made that rule because I want to help you out. You like me, right? So you would like to hear my voice. Aren't you thankful?"_

"Why do you keep pushing your feelings to me? You're the one who asked me to be your girlfriend. Isn't it because you like me? So stop telling me that I'm the one who likes you, okay?" I argued.

He fell silent for a few seconds. All I heard was a, _"Hn. Do you know how to cook?"_

"Huh?" I said in confusion.

 _"Karin always makes me lunch. But you're my girlfriend so shouldn't you be the one to make me those?"_

"Oh, really? Then why don't you just make her your girlfriend instead?"

 _"She's a terrible cook. Maybe you are too that's why you don't want to make me lunch."_

"For your information, my family loves everything I cook." Okay. So I have never cooked in my entire life.

 _"Really?"_ I could already see that cocky smirk he is sporting up ahead. _"Then prove it. Bring me bento on Monday."_

Why is he always so good in catching me whenever I lie? "Fine!"

I hanged up the phone due to my annoyance at him. The big problem is... I don't know how to cook! And I will probably see Uchiha Sasuke's stupid smirk when I bring nothing on Monday! I immediately turn on the television but to no avail, I can't even understand the ingredients the woman is saying.

I took my cellphone and sent a message to Ino.

 **[Hey, I have an emergency, Call me now.]**

Unfortunately, I sent the message accidentally to Gaara since their names are just next to each other and maybe because I am panicking and in a hurry. I composed a new message saying I just accidentally sent him a message but before I could send it, he is already calling me.


	32. Cooking spree

**Okay, so I was having fun and now here it is. XD**

 **All credits to Yves_Liong (writer from Wattpad) and Masashi Kishimoto (owner of Naruto).**

 **Warning: OOCness**

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 **Battling With A Hot Guy**

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 _ **36**_

As soon as I pick up Gaara's call, he didn't give me a chance to speak. _"Hinata, what's wrong? Are you hurt?"_ He asked immediately, his voice full of worry.

For a moment, I almost believed that he really is concerned and worried over me. But all the memories we shared before was a lie so I couldn't make the same mistake of believing him. "I'm fine. Nothing's wrong. The message wasn't for you but for Ino. I''m sorry."

 _"Are you that prideful now that even if you're in an emergency, you still refuse to ask for my help?"_ He remarked seriously, like I really am in a matter of life and death.

"I'm not dying. Not even hurt. I just need to learn to cook." I mumbled embarrassed. "Anyway, I'm going to hang up now. Sorry for the inconvenience."

As I was about to end the call, he suddenly stopped me. _"Wait. I can help you with your cooking problem."_

"You know how to cook?" I forced to stop myself from saying that he'll make a perfect boyfriend. _Shut up, Hinata._ I told myself.

 _"I have an older sister who cooks for us and occasionally, she teaches me how. I know it's hard for you to trust me again but believe me, I am not fooling you this time. I will do whatever it takes to gain your trust completely again."  
_

Seeing that he seemed to be really determined to get my forgiveness, I decided to trust him. After all, I am desperate, aren't I? "Fine, we have deal. But where would you teach me. We can't use our kitchen because my father and brother will be livid if they see me bring a guy at home."

 _"Let's use the school's cooking room. I'll meet you there in 10 minutes. I'll bring everything so you don't have to worry. Just be there, okay?"_ He instructed.

Maybe he is forgetting that it is Sunday, thus, the school is closed. "I just have one question. How are we going to enter."

He chuckled lightly. Suddenly, I was reminded of Sasuke's chuckle, his chuckles lightly like Gaara.

 _Wait a minute. Why am I thinking of that jerk now? Shut up, Hinata!_

I was pulled from my thoughts when Gaara spoke again. _"Don't worry about it. It will be open for you when you get there."_ He remarked rather proudly. _"See you."_

And then he hang up. I started to get ready but as I did, I wonder what Gaara is up to. He wasn't going to break in to the school just for me, right? As soon as I changed clothes, I walked towards school and the entrance really is open. When I arrived at the cooking room, I finally can ask him.

"How did you do that?"

He smirked mischievously in response. "I broke in." He answered proudly. My eyes widened immediately.

"Are you crazy? We'll be in so much trouble! _You_ will be in so much trouble!" I exclaimed.

"I'm just kidding. Relax." He said and brought some keys out of his pocket. "See this? These are the keys. The janitor owes me something so I borrowed this from him."

"Oh." I mumbled. "Uhm..."

He just smiled at me, the smile he almost never uses at just anybody. "Let's start?" I saw the counter was full of ingredients. "You didn't specify what you wanted to cook so I just brought what usually can be used in dishes."

For the first time in a long time, I smiled at him. "Thank you for doing this."

He stared at me for a moment but I since I felt a bit uneasy, I decided to distract him. "So, uhm..."

"Right." He suddenly turned to the bags of ingredients. "What do you want to learn to cook? I can teach you anything."

I found myself chuckling at how proud he is of his _cooking skills_. He sounded silly and funny. "I guess I'll go with fried rice since I heard it's not that hard and I like eating it." I answered and moved next to him to help. "So what's the first step?" It's kinda strange that I'm softening up to him again.

"We need cooked rice." He said setting aside the uncooked rice and taking a container from the stack of ingredients before us. ""Aside from the rice, we need to prepare the other ingredients. What are your favorite veggies?"

I tried to think of what Sasuke would like. "I'm not sure if Sasuke would like carrot and peas." I remarked absently forgetting that Gaara didn't know I'm trying to learn to cook for the Uchiha.

"You're doing this for the Uchiha?" He asked, his expression suddenly darkened.

Knowing that I couldn't possibly lie to get out of it, I nodded slowly. "Yes, I am. I need to cook lunch for Sasuke tomorrow."

"What happened to your vow to make that Uchiha pay for hurting your bestfriend? Suddenly, you're acting like a lovesick girl." He said angrily.

"Why are you so angry? Who said I'm not continuing my mission?"

"So you admit that your liking for the Uchiha is not true then?" He asked, getting even angrier. "Do you know why I liked you in the first place? It was because of your honesty. When you are mad at someone, you'd show it not matter what people would do to you."

Is he seriously accusing me like I deceived him? Isn't he the one who did that to me? But instead of bantering with him again, I just decided not to explode. "Nevermind. Sorry for disturbing you. I'm going."

I didn't wait for him to say anything anymore. I rushed out of there and headed back home. We never even started the cooking lesson. Maybe our cook wouldn't be busy and can finally teach me when I get back home. Or better yet, I could call Ino now.

I took my phone from my pocket and dialed Ino's number. This time I made sure it is really her. When she answered though, I could already tell I called in a bad time. But I still tried _._ "Ino-chan?"

 _"Hey, Hina-chan! What did you say?"_ She shouted over the background noise.

"Uhm... You're not home, are you?"

There was a shuffling sound. _"Oh, yeah. I'm at the mall right. Sai is treating me to the movies because he lost a bet."_ She answered and I suddenly heard Sai's voice asking who she's talking to. _"Is something wrong?"_

I decided against disturbing Ino. It is Sai's chance and he deserves this date with my friend. "It's nothing. I was just bored so I called you."

 _"Is that so? I'll just call you when I got home, okay? I need to go now."_ She suddenly hang up. Maybe they're going to enter the cinema now.

I walked home with only one option, and that is by asking the cook. Sakura knows absolutely nothing about cooking so I didn't bother. But my hope was shattered when I saw the cook walking outside the house.

"Hello, Lady Hinata. I asked Lord Hiashi for a leave since my daughter is in the hospital."

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that. I hope she gets well soon."

"Thank you, Lady Hinata. I must be going." She bowed at me and walked to the bus station on the next block.

I sighed and went up my room when my phone suddenly started ringing.

 _ **Uchiha Sasuke calling...**_

Ugh. I heaved a sigh and answered after four rings.

"Hello?"

 _"So how's the cooking going?"_ He asked, as if he just knew how miserable I am. _"Since you're busy with my bento, I decided to call you myself."_

I now know why he always manages to annoy me. It is because he seem to always know the truth and was unconsciously rubbing it on me. Or maybe not unconscious. But I am not going to give in this time."It's going great. Like you said, I am busy so I'm going to hang up now."

 _"Alright. Cook well."_ And he finally hanged up.

After that phone call, I decided I cannot lose face in front of Uchiha Sasuke. I am going to try.

The next day I woke up 3 hours earlier than usual. I checked the refrigerator and found a whole carrot, sausage and eggs. From my experience of eating fried rice, I knew that all I have to do is to mix them. I started chopping the ingredients. While chopping the last sausage, I cut myself.

After tending to my small cut, I continued my work. I filled the pan with oil, I put in the rice, the egg, the chopped carrots and sausages. Since I don't know when it is cooked, I just thought when the small is good then it's okay. The finished product looked greasy and a bit unappetizing. But since I have no choice, i put it in a container and got ready for school.

When I reached school, I went to my locker and the sight gave me a surprise. Gaara is leaning against my locker, holding a box in his hands.


	33. Lunch Box

**Heeey! First of all, I'm so sorry for the VERY late update! I just thought no one's expecting much and I've been really busy with studying and working at the same time.  
**

 **Anyway!**

 **To _I'mawarrior11_ , THANK YOU SO MUCH! Omg! Your demand hyped me up! Don't worry, I will finish this story. Hehe. Thank you!**

 **To _Kirara_ , thank you! I'm glad you like Ino, I really adore her too.**

 **This update for all of the readers who are waiting. THANK YOU SO MUCH!**

 **And please kindly warn me when Sasuke is going out of character.**

 **Warning: OOC-ness, as always.**

 **-Itachi's Queen**

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 **Battling With a Hot Guy**

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 _ **37**_

When I reached my locker, I was ready to question Gaara what he was doing there but he already beat me to it when he extended his hand towards me. "Here, take it."

"What's this?" I asked even if I already have an idea but I just couldn't comprehend why he would still give me this after the fight we had yesterday.

"It's the fried rice we were cooking yesterday. I finished it when you left." He answered while not making eye contact. He then placed the box in my hands.

But I immediately returned it to him. "I can't take this. Sorry but thanks." I tried my best to sound nice and apologetic but I know it all came out arrogant and cold. I have two reasons why I can't and don't want to accept it. The first being I know how much it would hurt his pride if I gave the bentou to Sasuke while Gaara made it. The second is that it would mean I forgive him.

He lifted his face and looked at me straight. "No, take it. Look, I'm really sorry about yesterday. I was upset that's why I said things I shouldn't have. I was wrong. I know you're still doing this for Haruno, even if I don't like the method you are using." He explained and then placed back the box in my hands. "Don't worry, I'm not asking for something I don't deserve _yet_. I just really don't want to waste food."

Then he turned and started walking away. Once he was gone, I opened my locker and took my books out. Now I'm debating if I should give Sasuke the bentou from Gaara since I know it would be a hundred times better. But then it would hurt Gaara's feelings. Plus Sasuke would most probably find out, since he always has ways to find things out.

Closing my locker, I felt a presence beside me and so I turned to the person. It was the Uchiha. Good thing I already kept the lunchbox Gaara gave me.

"Where's my food?" He asked with a little excitement in his voice. I looked at him suspiciously.

I still haven't decided which one to give him. "Why are you asking for lunch this early? Look for me later at lunch period." I dismissed him and walked to my first class. But he followed me and so I turned to him. "What?"

"Can't I just walk _my girlfriend_ to her class?" He said non-chalantly.

I felt heat rush into my cheeks by the way he said it. I shook my head and tried to make the thought go away. "If you're going to be annoying, I won't give you lunch later."

He stopped walking. "I'll see you later then." He turned and walked to his own classroom.

I sighed and continued walking to first period.

During class, Sakura noticed me unusually inattentive in the discussion. "What's wrong? You look in deep thought. What is it?" She asked in a whisper which only I could hear.

I took a piece of paper from my notebook and wrote.

 **I'm in trouble. I bragged to Sasuke about being a great cook last Saturday. So he asked me to cook lunch for him.**

I passed the note under my table. She looked surprised, she wrote a reply and then sent it to me. **What?! But you can't cook!**

 **I actually cooked something but it's not very pleasing to the eyes and, maybe, the taste. But the thing is, Gaara brought me a lunch box that looks so much better.** We started exchanging notes.

 **Then go and give it to Sasuke.**

I shook my head at her and then wrote a reply. **Are you crazy? If I do that, I'll hurt Gaara's feelings. And for some reason, I just had an instinct that Sasuke will find out.**

 **You're being paranoid. Sasuke is not some God, you know. And why are you even concerned with Gaara's feelings? Sasuke is your boyfriend here. What do you think will happen if he tasted your awful cooking?**

I was going to reply some more but the teacher suddenly called my attention. "Hyuuga Hinata, read the first paragraph of page 21." May she caught Sakura-chan and I exchanging notes but we were lucky we didn't get punishment. Maybe she's in good mood today.

After I read what I was asked, I suddenly thought of my predicament. Sakura does have a point that Sasuke is not a God. But it's not as if he will be poisoned if he eats my cooking, right?

When the lunch bell rang, I had finally made a decision. I told Sakura I'd give Gaara's cooking to Sasuke. "You're doing the right thing. And this is a really good sign. It just shows that he wants to be closer to you."

I have a different opinion though. I think he wants to make a fool out of me.

"You should eat lunch with him. Maybe he asked you to cook for him so you could eat together."

"What? No!" I immediately objected. Before I could say anything, Ino appeared in front of us.

"Hey! Can I have lunch with you today? Sai and I were supposed to eat together but Gaara suddenly came and dragged Sai away. But Gaara asked me nicely so I just agreed."

"Sure! But you and I are the only ones eating together, Ino." Sakura-chan grinned at me. "Hina-chan is going to eat with Sasuke-kun." Then she suddenly started pulling Ino away. "See you later!"

Even before I could protest, they were gone. And I'm standing like a crazy person here. My daze vanished when my phone started ringing. And I already knew who it is. It's none other than, Uchiha Sasuke. I pushed the accept button and answered, "Hello?"

 _"Where's my lunch?"_ He went straight to the point. Was he this excited or just really hungry? _"I'm in the cafeteria right now and I'm really hungry so come here now."_

"I'm not your slave!" I protested immediately. I started walking towards th cafeteria.

 _"So are you coming yet or what?"_

"I'm coming!" I tried to sound calm but I still ended up with annoyed voice.

 _"I'm hungry."_ His complains are really getting into my nerves.

"Didn't I say I'm coming? Why don't you just hang up and wait."

I heard him gave out a low chuckle. He's really making fun of me. Without waiting for any response, I ended the call.

When I reached the cafeteria, I saw Sasuke sitting in a table alone. That's unusual because whenever there's Sasuke, Naruto is there too. And I have a feeling that Sakura is behind Naruto's disappearance. I walked over to him with two lunch boxes, I decided to eat mine so it won't go to waste. As I was taking my seat, Sasuke reached out and took my lunch box.

"What took you so long?" He asked impatiently.

I almost panicked and grabbed the lunch box. "That's mine!"

But he just held onto it. "What difference would it make? You both cooked them anyway." He replied and opened the lunch box. I was horrified as he unvelied my cooking.

Exactly when my ugly fried rice was exposed to everyone near us, Karin suddenly appeared with her daily _'Sasuke lunch box.'_ Upon seeing my cooking, Karin laughed. "Sasuke-kun, why are you eating that horrible thing?" Then she offered her lunch box. "Here, eat this instead."

I saw the looked Sasuke gave when he finally saw my cooking. And I knew for that moment, he'd take Karin's. But to my surprise, he didn't. Instead, he looked at Karin. "Why would I choose your cooking over my girlfriend's?" He deadpanned.

Karin immediately glared at me. "Suit yourself then." She seems like she's challenging Sasuke to eat my disgusting cooking.

But Sasuke, the poor brave soul, scooped a spoonful and ate it in front of Karin. "It's delicious." He declared and continued eating it.

Karin's expression darkened even more but she turned and walked away. I watched Sasuke eat my cooking. I was amazed at how fast he finished it. Maybe I really did a great job? Maybe it really just looked disgusting.

When he was finished eating, he looked at me with a serious face.

"Hinata.."

He put his hand in his stomach as bits of sweat appeared on his foreahead. "Sasuke?" I blinked.

"My stomach hurts.." He whispered.


	34. Rule breaker

**Warning: OOC-ness! :3**

 **-Itachi's Queen**

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 **Battling With A Hot Guy**

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 _ **38**_

Food poison? Could I have poisoned Sasuke with my cooking?

As I help Sasuke reach the school clinic, I tried to think of the ingredients that could have poisoned him. I am so sure that all the ingredients I used are fresh. And even if I don't know how to cook, I followed the instructions. I can't believe my cooking poisoned the Uchiha. His fangirls will take my head for this. Especially, Karin.

When we reached the clinic, I immediately opened the door and called for our resident nurse. "Shizune-san?"

But Shizune-san wasn't the one who attended to us. "Hello. Nurse Shizune is with Tsunade-sama. How may I help you?"

The nurse looked at me and then her eyes went to Sasuke. She automatically smiled while I inwardly groan. Oh, dear Kami. This nurse is totally smitten with the Uchiha. I fought the urge to roll my eyes as I took Sasuke to one of the beds.

"What have you last eaten?" She asked as she sees Sasuke put his hand in his stomach.

"He... Uhm... Ate the fried rice I cooked." I decided to answer for him.

The nurse turned to me with a scary face, like she's ready to kill me. "What did you put in that fried rice?" She asked like we're in the crime scene and I am the main suspect.

"I put rice, carrots, sausages and eggs." I answered honestly.

She looked at me with that scary look again. "Are you sure?" She is like convinced that I put poison in the lunch I cooked for Sasuke. I nodded repeatedly, intimidated by her scary eyes. She walked towards the medicine cabinet and took a bottle of tablet then she walked towards Sasuke and gave him the tablet. "Here, take this and I'm sure you'll feel better. If you ever feel pain again later, come back here." She smiled so sweetly at Sasuke, like an angel, handing him the tablet and water.

Sasuke ate the medicine and drank the water. A few minutes passed and he looked better. His sweating stopped too. Makes me doubt if my cooking really made him feel sick or if he's just acting.

"Feeling better?" The nurse asked again with a sweet tone. I almost gagged in disgust.

Sasuke just nodded. "We should go." He turned to me. I want to give him a chop in the neck since he didn't even thank the nurse. But thankful that he wants to get out of there like I do. He must hate how the nurse flirted with him. Sasuke is known for his cold treatment for girls.

When we left the clinic, we started walking in the hallways. Then I decided to let my thoughts out. "How can you be so stupid? Why did you eat everything when you already saw how disgusting it looked?" I asked. "And were you even sick earlier or just faking so I'd feel bad?"

He stopped walking, which made me stop too, then he looked at me dead in the eyes. "I don't want Karin to embarrass you." He answered seriously, and that gave me a funny feeling in my stomach. But then he suddenly smirked that made me want to hit him. "No one can embarrass my girlfriend except for me." He just ruined the moment.

"Then you really just pretended to be sick to embarrass me in front of the nurse?" I accused him.

He chuckled lowly. "Is that what you think?"

"You are such a jerk, you know that?" I started walking again, now with a faster pace.

I heard his footsteps trying to catch up with me and then he was there beside me again. "I was not acting sick. I'm not that good of an actor. Maybe you just cooked the fried rice badly."

I looked at him in annoyance. "If my cooking is so bad, why did you eat them all in the first place?!" I retorted angrily. My steps going harder since I am getting mad.

He passed me then he stopped in front of me and put his hands on my shoulders to stop me. "That's the point. If I didn't eat it myself, you'll be the one to suffer the stomachache."

His words echoed in my head. For the first time in forever, in front of Uchiha Sasuke, I swallowed my pride. "Thank you." I replied in a small voice. To make matters worst, my stomach chose to grumble now, reminding me that I haven't eaten yet.

"Here." He pulled his hands away from my shoulders and took something from his bag. He extended his right hand towards me as he hold out a lunch box. "I figured that since you're going to cook for me, it is only fair that I cook for you too."

The thought of Sasuke wanting to make a fool out of me by asking me to cook disappeared. Maybe he wasn't as bad as I thought. "You can cook?" I asked in surprise as I took it from him.

"Almost everyone nowadays knows how to cook." He replied smirking at me like he's rubbing it on that I can't cook. And there he ruined the moment again.

"You know what, take it back. I don't deserve eating your food since I can't cook. I'll just eat my own cooking." I said, taking his hand, and giving the lunch box to him.

I took out Gaara's lunch box and showed it to him. He wouldn't know it was Gaara's anyway, right? He was looking at the lunch box but then he suddenly reached for my hand. "I never want you to cook for me again."

My eyebrows knotted. "Why? Because I cooked a terrible fried rice? FYI, I can still improve! But I will never cook for you ever again." I said angrily.

"It's not that." His fingers brushed at my finger that I cut earlier while cutting the veggies for the fried rice I cooked for him. "I don't want you to cut yourself again." He said as he inspected at my finger with a bandaid.

"I-I'm fine. I'll go eat my lunch." I was flustered and couldn't think of anything to say so I just started walking away but I heard him say something behind me.

"Don't blame me if you get sick too."

I ignored him and shook my head as thoughts of what he said linger in my mind. I checked my watch and I only have 10 minutes to finish eating. I run towards the cafeteria and hurriedly finish Gaara's food. I was done in 5 minutes so I went back to the classroom. When I got there, Sakura-chan approached me excitedly.

"What happened?" She asked and then noticed I am holding Gaara's lunch box since she knows what my lunch box looks like. "Did he like it?"

I shook my head. "He ate my cooking and then got stomachache."

"What? Why did you give him yours?"

"Are you saying I should have sacrificed myself so he won't get stomachache? If there's someone who should sacrifice, it should be him."

"If you like someone, you'd sacrifice for him, Hina-chan." She pointed out.

I shrugged. "That's just it, I don't like him so I don't want to sacrifice." Then I remember Gaara's lunch box is still in my hand. "Hey, I'll be right back, okay?" I told Sakura-chan.

"Where are you going? It's almost time for class." She reminded me.

"It'll be fast." I started walking to Gaara's table where one of his seatmates was trying to talk to him. "Uh, Gaara-kun. Can I talk to you?" I asked, trying not to sound friendly.

He stood up from his seat not minding the person talking to him. We walked towards the window. "What is it?"

"Don't leave yet after class, I'll just wash your lunch box then I'll return it to you." I said seriously.

He nodded and then walked back to his seat. I did the same and when I sat beside Sakura, she looked at me suspiciously.

"What did you say to him?"

"I just told him I'll return his lunch box later." I answered.

"Hey, you should stop talking to Gaara in public. What if Sasuke sees you?"

I raised a brow at her. "Weren't you the one who told me earlier that Sasuke is not a God? He couldn't possibly know."

Before Sakura could comment anything, the teacher finally arrived and immediately started discussing her lessons. We both listened intently since I've been getting to trouble these days. Once the bell rang, I rushed out of the room and hurried towards the girls' comfort room to wash Gaara's lunch box.

After I washed the lunch box, I rushed back to our classroom. When I got there, Gaara was leaning against the wall. His bag hanging from his shoulder, making him look very hot in the moment. I shook those thoughts away, I can't think about him this way.

I handed him the lunch box. "Here."

He took it and placed it in his bag. "I'm leaving then." He said and then started walking away.

I heaved a huge sigh as I watch him walk away.

"So you refused my lunch box because of Gaara." I heard from behind me. My eyes widen and I immediately spun then came face to face with Uchiha Sasuke. "Don't you know that what you just did broke one of my rules?"

I took a step back but he took a step closer. "W-What do you mean?"

He continued to move closer, and soon we are just inches apart, my back hitting the wall of the classroom and him looming over me. "You were talking to another guy, not just any other guy but Sabaku." He said as his face darken. "Are you ready for you punishment?"

My heart started pounded like crazy. Will he steal my first kiss now?"


	35. Punishment

**Warning: OCC-ness**

 **-Itachi's Queen**

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 **Battling With A Hot Guy**

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 _ **39**_

As Sasuke's face grew closer and closer to mine, my mind and heart started disagreeing with each other. I was really thought he was going to kiss me but then his lips moved past, grazing my left cheek a bit, and then I felt his breath in my left ear. "You're now under probation." He whispered. Which oddly brought me relief at the same time, just a tiny bit of disappointment.

 _'Shut up, Hinata.'_ I angrily groaned in my mind. But then I remember what he said, I don't actually know how his _"probation"_ mean. "What do you mean by that?" I asked calmly, as if I didn't freak out earlier thinking he'd kiss me.

"You're on probation meaning you can't get out of my sight. Where's your phone?" He said and then extended his right hand towards me like he was asking for my phone.

"W-Why do you ask?" I asked cautiously as I place my hand inside my pocket and gripped my phone to protect it in case Sasuke tries to snatch it.

He smirked. "Give it to me." He said, urgin his hand towards me again. "Starting today, you won't use your phone, we'll swap phones. You can't spend your breaks with Sakura either. Every time you're free, you'll be spending them with me. And you'll walk home with me starting today."

My eyes widened in horror. Just thinking about spending that much time with him gives me the chills. "No way!" I exclaimed.

"Okay then." He smirked again and did not even convince me. He moved closed again. "I guess you like a kiss better."

Upon hearing that, I immediately took out my phone and blocked his face from getting closer to mine. He moved back again and I sheepishly smile to let him know I won't be losing much anyway. "Here you go."

He took my phone and started browsing it. I took a peek at what he was looking at in my phone and saw that he was just checking the games. "Is this the only game you have?" He complained. "I don't like your phone, let's just switch sim cards."

"No." I answered since I know how nice and new his phone is. "If you want to switch, let's switch fully." I demanded.

"You're not really in the position to bargain." He said but still took his phone out and placed it in my hand. "Take good care of it."

I happily nodded since not everyday will Uchiha Sasuke give in to my demands. Having settled the phone issue, I grabbed my things and prepared to go home. "See you tomorrow." I remarked and walked out the door.

But then he stopped me. "Where are you going? Have you forgotten something?" He said crossing his arms in his chest.

"What do you mean? I'm going home already." I answered innocently.

"You have to wait for me, I have something to get in my locker." He grabbed my wrist and pulled me towards the lockers. It seemed like he was rummaging through his locker slowly just to annoy me.

I looked at my watch impatiently. "It's already 5:30. Can you hurry up?" But he still continued to rummage in a slow pace. "What are you looking for anyway?" I asked with a frown.

He looked at me with a smirk. "Nothing. I'm just arranging my things."

He has got to be kidding me. "Can't you just do it tomorrow?" I asked and suddenly realized that he was intentionally keeping us here until the lights go out. "It doesn't even look messy. Let's go, I'll even clean your locker myself tomorrow."

"You're just afraid of the dark." He responded with a hint of teasing.

I frowned at him. "Why are you still keeping me here when you already know that fact?" I shook my head. "I'll just wait for you outside." I finished and started walking away.

He didn't try to stop me so I continued walking. When I was halfway out, the lights suddenly shut. My heart started beating wildly as I started to panic. I debated if I should shout for Sasuke but he was far from me. My tears already started building up as I remember I have Sasuke's phone. I took it out of my pocket and looked for my number in his phone. But there is no Hinata in it. I continued to scroll until I come across a contact named _Wifey_. I recongize the last four numbers. It was mine.

I don't have time to react to it and just clicked on it. As I wait for Sasuke to answer my call, I heard light footsteps approaching me. Could it be a...

 _Ghost?!_

I closed my eyes and still waited for an answer until someone touched my shoulder from behind. I shrieked in panic and was about to run but the hand gripped my shoulder. "It's just me." It was Sasuke's voice. I turned around and saw his face barely visible from the dim light of the phone in my hand.

I tried to calm myself but I just couldn't hold my fear in. "Do you really enjoy making me feel this way? You already know I'm afraid of the dark!" I shouted at him but my voice broke.

"Why did you leave my side?" His voice sounded like he wa worried. He looked away and sighed. "I'm sorry. Let's go." My eyes widened. I can't believe he just said those.

He was going to start walking so I grabbed on to his hand, scared I'd be left alone. We started walking out and he led the way. When we finally reached the gates, felt relief to see light again. Even thought it was completely his fault, I turned to him and said, "thank you."

Luckily, he didn't try to tease me. "It's going to be dark soon." He started walking and I followed close.

My normal self went back as I complain. "And whose fault is that?"

"Yours."

"Why is it my fault? You're the one who wanted to fix your locker even if it's more organize then mine."

He suddenly chuckled lightly. "You're just unorganized. You should really clean your locker every week."

I blushed due to embarrassment but tried to make a comeback. "You're changing the topic. It's still your fault."

"If you weren't so impatient and went on your own, I wouldn't have to spend time looking for you in the dark."

"That's because you were trying to scare me!" I accused him. "You were slowing down so we'd experience the lights shutting again."

"If I wanted to scare, I wouldn't go on finding you. I'll just leave you there." He took my phone out of his pocket and started browsing again. There's nothing in there anyway so I let him be. "Why are you so afraid of the dark?" He suddenly asked.

Hearing him ask seriously, I decided to honestly answer too. "I don't like it when I don't know what's happening around me. It makes me feel really bad."

"It's not only when you're in the dark and can't see anything do you have those feelings. Even when you see things, you can still be clueless." I was about to ask him to explain further but he suddenly stopped that made me stop too. "This is your house, right? See you."

Sasuke started walking away and I watched him then walked inside our house.

Why was it that when I least expect him to be something, he'll suddenly transform into it?

"Nechan, you're home a bit late today!" I smiled at Hanabi.

"Yeah, I had to take care of something." I answered her.

"Hurry up and change, Hina. We'll eat dinner soon."

"Okay, niisan." I smiled at Neji-nii and went up my room.

I entered my room while thinking about what Sasuke said. Then his phone suddenly started ringing in my pocket. I took it out expecting it to be him.

But to my horror, it was Karin.


	36. Phone calls

**Let me first acknowledge our dear flamer sister, you're back! Hellooo! But wait... Who is virgin Ashley? Please clear it up with me. Thanks!**

 **To _France_ , yep, Sasuke is pretty smart. And I intend to show it here. Hehe. Soon, I hope. :3**

 **To _SilverMoon6817_ , I'm glad you enjoyed it! Thank you so much! I had to do that, Sasuke teasing Hinata in that way. Hehehe.**

 **To _flornoir_ , thank you so much for binge reading! Omggg! I didn't think someone would patiently read all of that since there's been so many chapters already. Again, thank you and I hope you stay reading until the end. :3**

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 **Warning: OOC-ness**

 **-Itachi's Queen**

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 **Battling With A Hot Guy**

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 _ **40**_

As soon as I saw Karin's name flashing, I pressed the _cancel_ button. But just after a second of ignore it, she called again and I cancelled again. When she called the third time, I cancelled and decided to silent his phone and put it in my nighstand.

I changed clothes and went down so we could eat dinner. It didn't take long since dad and Neji-nii are supposed to go to the company tonight. Hanabi should be early tomorrow so we decided against watching movies.

I went back to my room and took Sasuke's phone. Karin has more than 10 missed calls. I rolled my eyes at her determination. The phone began vibrated with Karin's name flashing again. I immediately cancelled it and dialled my own number.

Sasuke answered after four rings. _"Why isn't my name saved under Hubby?"_ He immediately complained. _"And what kind of ring tone do you have? It's horrible."_ He continued insulting.

"Stop complaining, it was your idea to swap phones. If you're unhappy with my phone then just give it back." I retorted and remembered why I called in the first place. "Anyway, Karin has been calling you non-stop. What do I do?"

 _"Answer it."_ He replied non-chalantly.

"Are you crazy? If I answer her call, she'd be furious." I reminded him.

 _"Hn. It's only natural for my girlfriend to answer my phone. I'm answering your calls too, and so far, none complained."_ He remarked like it was nothing.

I temporarily forgot the issue with Karin at what he said. What if Sakura-chan calls? She'd be hurt! "Hey, you're ruining my privacy! I don't answer your calls so don't answer mine.

 _"So go and answer them. It's not like I forbid you to do so. Besides, your friend didn't seem to mind me answering. We had a serious talk."_

I suddenly got anxious now. A friend of mine that he had serious talk with? Could he mean... "Who was that friend of mine?"

 _"Someone I know. We just had a little talk about this girl he likes. I was discouraging him, and I even told him to leave her alone."_ Was it Gaara? Could it be? But it wasn't possible. I'm not the type of girl who can cause guys to fight. That was Sakura or Ino. Not me.

My heart started beating faster. It was Gaara for sure. "How could you do that? Do you see me stopping you from talking to Karin?" I said angrily.

 _"I don't even really talk to Karin. And what are you talking about?"_

He sounded like he doesn't know a thing but I knew better than to believe his acting. "I'm talking about how you told him not to see me anymore just because you're jealous."

 _"Why would I tell Sai not to see you when he doesn't even like you more than a friend?"_ He remarked making me feel very embarrassed at what I just did. _"Do you think Sai likes you that way? Does he look at you in **that** way? Should I strangle him?"_

I felt my cheeks heat up. And what did he just say? Why would he strangle Sai? It was strange though. Sai never called me before. "I-I was j-just testing you.. I already know it was Sai. I j-just wanted to see how you'd react to my joke. Hehe." I sweatdropped at my lameness. I let out an awkwad laugh and cleared my throat. "So, what did he say?"

Typical Sasuke, doesn't dwell on things much, he didn't mind my change of topic. _"He was just wondering if you know why Yamanaka isn't answering his call."_ He replied non-chalantly. _"I have to go."_ He suddenly ended our conversation.

Since I remembered he said he answered my calls, I'm pretty sure he read every messages I have so I'm going to do the same. I actually expected to read a lot of messages, especially from his fangirls. But when I did see his inbox, there were only three messages. Nothing from Karin. One was from Naruto-kun, one from Sai and one from me.

Since I didn't see anything interesting in his inbox, I moved to his gallery. It was full of his pictures. I continued to scroll down and found a picture of a familiar girl sleeping with a piece of bread in her hand, like she fell asleep while eating. I was actually going to laugh at the foolish girl but then it strucked me that the girl is none other than me.

As I wonder why he has this picture of mine, I continued to scroll down and found another picture of me. This time, I looked like I was puffing my cheeks while looking at the black board with a board expression. But those two weren't all of it. There was also a picture of me sleeping with a drool on my lips.

Annoyed by the fact that he took pictures of me in my most embarrassing moments, I stopped looking at his gallery. I was about to call him again to confront him about the pictures but the phone started ringing flashing Karin's name again.

I finally had enough of it, since Sasuke said I can answer his calls, I am going to answer Karin's.

 _"Sasuke-kun! Why weren't you answering your phone? Are you feeling alright? I was really worried since you ate that disgusting food."_

I wasn't going to speak but my blood boiled as soon as she insulted my cooking, so I decided to react. "For your information, that disgusting food is completely edible."

There was silence in the line, maybe she was surprised that it was me who answered. _"Hyuuga Hinata? Why are you answering Sasuke-kun's phone? Are you with him right now?"_ She asked continuously. But before I could answer, she threw accusations at me. _"No, wait. That isn't it. You probably stole his phone, didn't you?"_ She remarked angrily.

"Why would I steal _my boyfriend's_ phone?" I remarked back, finding something to annoy her.

She let out a sarcastic laugh. _"Are you kidding me? Everyone knows you aren't a real couple. You're just finding an excuse to stab him in the back."_ She hissed.

Because of that, I suddenly felt defensive. I wasn't really that mean, right? I'm just trying to teach Uchiha Sasuke a lesson, not stab him cruelly. "I'm not lie you, Karin. I don't stab people at the back. I do it face-to-face. You're just jealous because Sasuke chose me instead of you." I answered in my most cruel voice.

Karin went silent again. Probably taken aback by what I said. _"I'm telling you. If he finds out you stole his phone, he'll break up with you."_

Was she deaf or what? "I already told you, he gave it to me. He asked me to switch phone earlier. Jealous yet?" I remarked sarcastically.

 _"Me? Jealous with the likes of you? And did you really expect me to believe that? Even when Sakura was Sasuke-kun's girlfriend, he never let her carry his phone, not even once. In fact, he never lets anyone touch his phone at all. Not even Naruto. So why would he deliberately give you his phone? You're obviously just playing with him."_

From what she just said, she really sounded like she's jealous of me. And so I decided to rub it in on her. "I don't know. Maybe because he _really likes me_?"

Karin went silent again for a few seconds and then she warned me. _"You better watch your back at school, Hyuuga."_ Then she hang up.


	37. Evil plan

**Hi, guys! It's been so long! I wonder if someone is still reading this. Hehe.**

 **Anyway! I dedicate this chapter to _I'mawarrior11_ and _dango-lover17_ , thank you for having fun reading this story! It means a lot to me!**

 **I sure do hope you can stay tune to know what will happen in the end since we're nearing the end of this story.**

 **Again, Battling with a Hot Guy is based on a book in wattpad in the same title written by Yves_Liong. And Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto.**

 **Ciao!**

 **-Itachi's Queen**

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 **Battling With A Hot Guy**

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 _ **41**_

I remember way back when Sakura-chan and Uchiha started getting closer, Karin threatened her the same way she did to me. Karin told Sakura that she better think of her actions concerning Uchiha Sasuke before doing them because something might happen to her. But Sakura-chan couldn't care less. Sakura-chan's personality is strong and so she didn't take Karin's threat seriously. That was until she found out that in our final examination that someone has switched her paper with a blank one. Sakura was devastated because she had to study all over again. The teacher gave her a chance because it was impossible for Sakura to submit a blank paper. She realized how far Karin will go for Uchiha Sasuke.

Actually, it wasn't just Sakura who realized that, I did too. That was why when I got to school today, I was so alert with my surroundings that even just the sound of footsteps make me jumpy. You could only imagine how I reacted when Sakura-chan pounced on me from behind.

"Okay, I was expecting you to act surprised but not that much. What's up? Why are you so jumpy? And why weren't you answering my calls last night?" She raised a brow at me like she's suspicious of my actions.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to tell Sakura-chan that Sasuke has my cellphone for the time being. I'm afraid that if I tell her, she'll think something bad happened between me and the jerk, and get mad at me again. "O-Oh.. That's because I was in the bathroom." I made an excuse.

"Really? But I called you a couple more times and you still wouldn't pick up." She pushed more.

"Well, I was taking a shower and you know how long it takes for me to do that because of my hair." I chuckled nervously but trying hard to hide it.

She raised a brow at me looking totally unconvinced. "You took a shower at 11 pm?"

I opened my mouth to explain but Sasuke's phone started ringing so I took it out of my pocket. It was Sasuke calling me as the name _Wifey_ started flashing in the screen. I looked at Sakura-chan with defeated expression and answered the phone. "Hello?"

 _"Where are you?"_ He immediately asked. Ugh. Does he not have common courtesy?

As I listen to Sasuke's voice, I noticed Sakura's jaw drop in surprise. I ignored it for a moment as I answer him. "Why do you want to know?" I asked with annoyance evident in my voice.

 _"Because I'm going there. You're on probation, remember?"_

I frowned since he can't see me and answered in annoyance again. "I'm a few steps from my locker."

He just hung up after that so I placed the phone back in my pocket. "Is that what I think it is or did you change your phone to match Sasuke-kun's?" She asked wide-eyed.

Seeing no point in lying now, I decided to just tell her the truth. "It's Sasuke's." I answered in a low tone in embarrassment. "He asked me to switch phones with him, that's why I can't answer your calls."

I expected her to be upset by my confession, considering Sasuke, her ex-boyfriend wouldn't answer her calls. But after a second's worth of hurt expression, she turned excited. "That's so sweet! That means he's really falling for you. You should have just told me instead of making up horrible excuses." She said teasingly.

Then I remember Sasuke is coming here soon. So instead of telling her I'm on probation, I made up another lie. I'm so gonna go to hell. Good bye, heaven. "Yeah, he likes me so much that he wants me to spend all of my free time with him. He said we're going to eat lunch together and even walk home together. He even called just now and asked me where I was so he can come here."

"Hmm, that's great. It looks like everything we planned is going smoothly. Keep up the good work, Hina-chan." She said cheerfully. "Well, I better get going then!" She waved good bye at me and started walking towards our classroom.

And if there was something Uchiha Sasuke is good at, it would be his perfect timing. He arrived as soon as Sakura-chan disappeared. "Did you wait long?" He asked as he approach me. "Or were you with someone else?"

Annoyed by his question, I decided to mock him. "Well, actually, I was with Gaara-kun just now. I told him you were coming so he should leave before you catch us." I remarked proudly, knowing he's going to be pissed.

But instead, he smirked down on me. "So you broke my rules on probation?"

From his creepy smirk, I already know he was going to punish me. "I'm just being sarcastic. I just told Sakura-chan I can't join her for lunch since you wanted me to eat with you."

We started walking towards my locker. I immediately opened it when we reach it and took my books out. "Why is your locker so dirty and unorganized? I won't be surprised if there's a cockroach crawling underneath those junk." He commented insultingly.

I turned to him with a frown. "Hey, even if my locker's unorganized, it doesn't mean it;s dirty!" I said in defense. Then I turned back to my locker and subtly tried to smooth things out but then something crawled from one of the books. To my horror, it was a cockroach and it started to crawl up my hand until Sasuke swatted it away from my arm and there it goes crawling on the floor. When my shock subside, I turned to him accusingly, my cheeks turning red. "You placed that there, didn't you?"

"What? Why would I place a cockroach in your locker? Will that make me look good in front of you? Instead of being stubborn, maybe just take it as a message that you should start cleaning your locker."

I raised my brow at him but didn't say anything. I shut my locker close and started walking away. I know he's following me so I walked faster almost running until I reach my classroom which will leave him no choice but to go to his.

As the class started, I went into thinking of ways to escape Sasuke and his probation. Maybe I could pretend I'm sick. But then he'll just come with me to the clinic and start flirting with the nurse. The just makes my blood boil for no reason. Ugh. Focus, Hinata.

I needed to go to a place where he can't go. Suddenly, a perfect idea presented itself in my mind. All I have to do is go to the girls' comfort room. He wouldn't be able to follow me there. Having the answer to my problem, I focused back to the lessons.

The second the lunch bell rang, I headed straight to the door but only to find Sasuke already waiting for me. Was he just that fast or did he cut class? I frowned at the thought. Once he saw me looking his way, he looked at me and gestured for me to come to him already. I turned to Sakura-chan. "See you later." She grinned at me and nodded. So I started walking towards Sasuke. When I got to him, I decided to go as I planned. "I need to go to the comfort room."

"Let's go then." He simply replied.

"Excuse me? You can't go there." I reminded him. "Why don't you just wait for me in the cafeteria?"

He smirked down on me again like he knows exactly what's on my mind. "I'm not dumb, Hinata. I'll wait for you outside." He said and started walking and my feet started dragging me to catch up with him.

I opened my mouth ready to convince him that I wasn't trying to escape from him but just before I could, a girl suddenly approached Sasuke. She was trying to catch her breath when she stopped in front of us. "Sasuke-kun, Sai-kun asked me to tell you that there's an emergency meeting for all the varsity members in five minutes."

"Tell him I can't come." He replied and grabbed my hand. "I have to spend time with my wifey." He said all seriousness in his voice.

She shook her head. "He said that you are all required to come."

Seeing this as an opportunity to escape him, I went along with the girl. "You heard her. Sai wants to see all of you, so go. Maybe it's really important." I convinced him with a smile.

He raised a brow at seeing me smile at him but then turned to the girl. "Okay then, I'm going." He said and then they both walked towards the gym. I waved at him happily before I turned and let out a victorious smile. I still went to the comfort room though even after escaping Sasuke. When I entered, Karin walked out of a cubicle. Upon seeing me, she smirked as if she's planning something evil. I ignored her and just entered a cubicle.

As I was doing my business, Karin suddenly spoke. "I heard you're afraid of the dark. Is it true?"

Before I could answer, I heard the door opened then shut close with a loud bang. Then suddenly, all lights turned off.


	38. Trauma

**Hi, guys! Another chapter, yay! Am I the only one excited for this chapter? Hohoho!**

 **To** ** _RedGoddessEclipse_** **, hello! I would just like to say thank you so much for your private message! And I'll see what I can do about your fun idea! Hehe. ;)  
**

 **To _inyourdreamsaswell_ , I think so too. She is becoming very harmful because of her feelings, eh? :3  
**

 **To _I'mawarrior11_ , hello again and you're very much welcome! Omg, you will stay alive, I will not let you leave me and this story! :3**

 **To _nanitaa_ , yep. She really is so MEAN. :(**

 **To _Gangname Style X3_ , well, I guess we'll find out what happened in this chapter. Hehe. Thank you so much! :3**

 **To _dango-lover17_ , I'm sorry but this chapter might leave you hanging again. Hehe. You will find out what really happened in this chapter! :3**

 **I LOVE YOU, GUYS! OMG! YOU'RE ALL SO AWESOOOME! T_T**

 **Warning: OOCness.**

 **-Itachi's Queen**

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 **Battling With A Hot Guy**

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 _ **42**_

I started panicking as soon as the lights went out. As I blink, my trembling hand reached into my pocket to fish out Sasuke's phone. I turned the phone's flashlight on and raised it to guide me as I walk out of the cubicle I was in. I went to the door and tried my hardest to open it but to no avail.

I resorted to looking for Sakura-chan's number in Sasuke's phone but it wasn't in his phonebook so I have no choice but to call my phone instead, which is in Sasuke's possession. I kept on redialling but Sasuke is still not answering.

The switch is outside of the comfort room so I had no choice but to cling unto the phone's mini light. But to make matters worse, the phone gave a warning signal that the battery is empty and was followed by the phone shutting down. The fear came rushing back to me as my eyes met darkness once again.

So I did the only thing I could. I began pounding on the door. "Karin! Open up! This isn't funny!" I cried as loud as I could but even if she's there, she's not listening to me. "Open the door! Please!"

I continued to shout the same thing for as long as my throat allowed. I'm sure that I've been here for almost an hour now. Leaning against the door, I fell on my knees and hugged myself. I began thinking if there are any ghosts around.

Then I suddenly heard a guy's voice. It was a bit muffled so I couldn't recognize but I'm sure about what he said. "What's going on in there?"

Thinking he probably could save me, I continued shouting. "Please help me! I'm locked inside!"

"What are you doing? Why are you locking Hinata in the comfort room?" I could now hear the guy's angry voice. Maybe he's a classmate since he knew me by my voice. "Let her out now."

"Why should I? No one seems to care. She's been shouting the whole time but no one bothered to help her." Karin said in her mean voice. "And what do you care, anyway? Didn't she cast you out and never wants to be associated with you ever again, hm?"

No way. It couldn't be. The person who is supposed to be my savior couldn't be _him_. "I don't care. Let her out _now_." Just as he said that, someone opened the door. I winced at the sudden impact of light in my eyes. The guy immediately rushed to me and held my arms for support.

"I told you Sasuke-kun is just playing with you. If he wasn't, he should have been here by now. He should have been the one to rescue you. But he clearly doesn't so If I were you, I'll stop now or something worse might happen to you." Karin threatened even more and turned away to leave.

"Hinata, are you alright? Were you hurt anywhere?" He immediately asked as soon as Karin is gone.

"I'm-"

"Hinata-chan!" The guy and I both turned to where we heard the voice. It was Ino approaching towards us. "What happened?" Her eyes accusingly looked at the guy beside me. "Sabaku Gaara, what happened to Hinata? What did you and Karin do again to my friend?!" She must have seen Karin walking away since she knew Karin was a part of it.

"Ino-chan.. Calm down. It's okay, Gaara helped me." I weakly said. I still couldn't get over the trauma that Karin locked me inside the comfort room for what seemed like forever.

"I'll bring you to the clinic." Gaara offered.

Since he helped me a lot, I decided to just forget my anger for once. "My legs are weak but I can manage. Thank you for helping me, Gaara." I could feel my eyes watering again.

"I'll take it from here, Sabaku." Ino-chan gestured me towards the comfort room again to help me wash up.

"I'll be out here. In case Karin decides to traumatize Hinata again." Ino and I nodded our thanks to Gaara and went inside the comfort room.

I was terrified at myself when we stood in front of the mirror. I look like a zombie. My hair is all over the place, my bangs looked like they want to get out of my face. Dry tears and sweat combined are all over my face. Gaara must have been horrified when he saw me earlier but chose to keep it in himself.

"I warned you before, didn't I? Karin is a heartless person. She would go to any lenghts for Sasuke-kun. You shouldn't mess with her. I think it's time you stop this." I nodded simultaneously. I totally agree with her. But then Sakura-chan will not allow it. We both wanted to get back on Sasuke and Karin badly.

"I can't do that..." I said and started washing my face while Ino-chan fix my hair.

"Why not? Because of Sakura? No offense, Hinata-chan, but there is a limitation for things you can do for your friend. Besides, Sakura shouldn't have let you do this. She knows this will affect you, especially knowing Karin, but she still let you do it anyway."

I couldn't look at her. I'm not sure how I should react. Is what Ino said right?

"By the way, I guess Gaara really does like you, huh? He's the one who saved you from Karin's cruel hands." I looked at Ino and I saw a genuine smile.

I know she liked Gaara and so I started cooking up an explanation. "Ino-chan, about Gaara.. I-"

But before I can say anything, she stopped me by raising her hand. I saw a ring in her ring finger. "I accepted this couple ring from Sai. So don't worry your pretty little head about me getting hurt over Gaara-kun anymore, okay?"

I immediately hugged Ino. Sai is a good guy and I know he'd be perfect for my friend. "Congratulations, Ino-chan. I really want you to be happy."

"Thank you. He is charming, isn't he?" We both giggled until I felt my stomach hurting from hunger.

"Ino-chan, I'm really hungry." I'm so thankful to her because she cheered me up from the trauma Karin gave me.

"Oh! Then let's go to the cafeteria!" We walked out of the comfort room and surely, Gaara is still there. "Hey, Sabaku, Hina-chan is hungry. Let's buy her food."

I immediately turned down her offer. "I'm fine to go alone, Ino-chan. Besides, you should be with your new boyfriend, ne?" I teased her and she blushed. I turned to Gaara. "Thank you so much for helping me. But you should go too." I am thankful for the two of them but I'm still not ready to face Gaara with just the two of us.

The two protested but I insisted that I want to do this alone so they let me leave. I went to the cafeteria while Ino's words linger in my mind. There might be other ways to help Sakura-chan. It was definitely better when Karin used to turn my evil schemes against me rather than attacking me straight on.

Upon reaching the cafeteria, I made a decision. I am going to break up with Uchiha Sasuke. I will face Sakura-chan's anger and explain my side. She is my friend and I'm sure she will understand me and we can come up with a different plan against Karin.

"Hey, what took you so long?" Sasuke suddenly appeared in front of me as soon as I entered the cafeteria. Then he noticed my puffy eyes. Simply washing my face wasn't enough to remove it. "Did you cry? I was just gone for just 30 minutes and you already missed me that much?"

I ignored his remarks and walked over to the counter then I ordered my food. He kept on following me until I took a sit and started eating my lunch. I left my lunch box at home since I was paranoid about Karin's threat since early this morning.

Normally, Sasuke wouldn't talk much. But he decided to talk anyway. "Why didn't you call me again after that one missed call you left? I was just busy at the moment. I didn't know where to find you."

I took his cellphone from my pocket and placed it on the table. "The battery's dead, and you didn't give me your charger." I answered and then continued eating.

"You didn't tell me you needed it, I could have brought it if you said so." He replied. "Why are you eating so much? Do you want to get fat?"

Still trying to regain my energy, I kept quiet until I took my one last bite. After that, I faced him with my most serious expression. "Uchiha Sasuke." I looked into his eyes. "Let's break up."

And as if it was something as easy as **yes or no** , he replied, "No."

"You said before that you don't like me, remember? You said you just agreed to make me your girlfriend because you knew I like you. But you're mistaken, I don't like you at all." I finally told him honestly.

"Why do you really want to break up?" He asked, disregarding everything I just said. "I didn't mean to leave you for 30 minutes. Sai asked all the varsity players to sing while he propose to Yamanaka. That was why I wasn't able to answer your call."

So that's why but it wasn't because of that. "I'm not mad because you left me, okay? In fact, I was happy. It's the things I have to go through because of you." I finally admitted so that he would stop with his absurd theory.

"Like what?"

"Why don't you ask Karin?" I shot at him angrily.

For a moment, Sasuke's facial expression turned from blank to angry to blank again. It was so instant that you would have doubted your eyes if it really happened. "What did Karin do? I'm sure she wouldn't do anything."

"Oh, really?" I retorted sarcastically. "Well then, you're wrong."

"I know Karin enough to say that she doesn't do things without any good intention." It made me look like I am the bad person and Karin is the victim.

Annoyed that he seem to be siding with Karin, I stood up from my seat. "If you think she's so great, then why don't you just go and ask her to be your girlfriend?"

I started to walk away but then he suddenly spoke that made me stop from my tracks. "Because I don't like a person basing on whether she's just great. I like a person because she's different from others, and the world just doesn't seem right when she's not around. And you still can't break up with me."


	39. Confrontation

**First of all, I would like to apologize for the typographical errors in my story. I know this is just an excuse, but I really am busy with work and studies, and I don't really have a beta to keep everything in check. So, my apologies.**

 **Second, I would also like to apologize if Battling with a Hot Guy doesn't live up to your expectations. I just really want to express my heartbreak about SasuHina through this story.**

 **To _Gangnam Style X3_ , hello! I love reading your reviews. Thank you for being critical about the plot. You're honestly one of the best reviewers I ever had. You're awesome! Thank you and I hope you'll like this chapter! :3**

 **To _Rhe Muliya Young_ , hello! Thank you because you like this story. But I'm really sorry about Hinata being OOC. Thank you, though, for being honest. :)**

 **To _flornoir_ , sorry but I'm really glad you're confused! It fuels my urge to update! Hehe. I really love how you assess the characters. Hinata really is in trouble, eh? ;)**

 **To _DianaPana_ , aw! I actually really like putting these three in a love triangle, tbh. SasuHinaGaa is a cute trio! Ino is level-headed in this story. And I love that mom voice! Omg! So cute! :3**

 **To _I'mawarrior11_ , also one of the reviewers I always want to read the opinions. You and Hinata has the same thing in mind! Hoho~ :3**

 **To _dango-lover17_ , I also really love reading your reviews! Such an awesome reviewer! And yep, a very cute turd indeed. Hehe. :3**

 **Warning: OCCness**

 **-Itachi's Queen**

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 **Battling With A Hot Guy**

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 _ **43**_

Did Uchiha Sasuke just admit that really like me or was I just assuming?

I mean, what else could he mean? And why is my heart beating wildly at the thought? Could it be that I like him too? Wait. What?! _Shut up, Hinata! Just shut up!_

Shaking my head like a fool as I continue walking away, I told myself to stop thinking about those absurd ideas. Anyone would feel that way when someone said those words to her, right? But then I didn't feel that way when Gaara said he liked me. Or maybe it was just a delayed reaction I am having due to that getting locked in the bathroom experience.

Forcing myself to feel satisfied with my own explanation, I continued to walk towards my class after lunch. But even as I did, I still couldn't shake off Sasuke's statement from my mind. How could he be so selfish not to agree with the break up just because he likes me? _If_ he really likes me like I assumed. Well, it wasn't as if I couldn't just stay away from him. Even if we haven't broken up, I would stop seeing him. I'll avoid him and stay away from him like he wanted even before we got together. Let's see if he still wouldn't break up with me when he starts looking like a fool chasing someone who doesn't want to be with him.

When I finally entered the room, I saw Sakura-chan gesturing at me excitedly to take a seat beside her. Once I did, she turned to me like a child who had just seen an adult carrying a bag full of candies. "So how did it go?" She asked with twinkle in her eyes.

Letting out a sigh before speaking, I tried to think of the best way to tell her the truth. "Sakura-chan, there's something you need to know." I started in a serious tone causing her to frown. Somehow, it seems like she already sensed something is wrong. "I broke up with the Uchiha."

Sakura let out a gasp. "What?!" She exclaimed loudly, making a lot of people turn to her with curiousity. "Why did you do that?"

Luckily, before I could answer her, the bell rang and followed by our teacher entering the room. Sakura have no other choice because the terror teacher is currently standing in front and started discussing immediately. Even though, I am trying to focus on what the teacher was saying, I just can't since I'm worried about what Sakura-chan is going to say when she hears my reason. And as I did, I wonder how much time I have until the dreadful moment.

Checking my pocket for my cellphone to know the time, it dawned on me that I don't have it because Sasuke and I exchanged phones, and I gave him his earlier at lunch. Remembering that, I suddenly have another problem. How could I retrieve my phone from Uchiha Sasuke when I already broke up with him and I'm determined to avoid him?

Upon realizing this problem, I found myself changing my decision once again. I could never really avoid Sasuke even if he doesn't agree to break up with me. He has his ways. He always does. He'll definitely catch up with me even if I try to run away from him. Besides, it wasn't really him whose at fault. He is just the cause. It should be Karin who should be punished.

As soon as the bell rang, Sakura turned to me with an angry expression. "Why did you break up with him already without even consulting me?" She exclaimed. For a moment, I was a bit annoyed at what she said. It was like she's saying only she could decide whatever happens to this revenge. She doesn't even know why I wanted to break up with Sasuke in the first place. It's like she's not my bestfriend Sakura that I know.

But I shook those thoughts away. She's my bestfriend and she might have felt betrayed for what I suddenly did. Since I already altered my decision, I suddenly grinned at her. "I was just kidding. I didn't really break up with him. He wouldn't allow me to if I did anyway." I told her assuringly.

Once she heard that, she let out a deep sigh of relief. "That's not a good joke, Hina!" She remarked as she started packing her things. I did the same thing. "Don't ever do something like that again, okay? I almost had a heart attack!"

Nodding in reply, I started to walk away from her. "I'll see you tomorrow then." I waved at her and then continue walking towards the door. I am going to look for Sasuke and take back what I said at lunch. But as soon as I was out of the door, he suddenly appeared and grabbed my hand before I could even say anything.

Giving in to what he's doing, I let him lead me into the same classroom where we found Gaara and Karin planning against me. Sasuke turned to me as he continue leading the way. "Aren't you going to ask where we're going?" He said, his eyebrows rose as he did.

"Why should I? I already know where we're going." It was odd but I didn't protest as he gripped my hand. I walked ahead of him to prove my point. "I'm going to the right direction, right?"

He nodded. "Then aren't you going to ask me why?" By this time, he let go of my hand. It was strange but I felt disappointed. Why is this confusing? "Aren't you even a bit curious?"

I'm more confused about my feelings but yes, I am curious as well. I raised a brow at him, it was true that I usually ask a lot of questions whenever he does something but I'm holding myself back. "Since when did any of the things you do to me make any sense?"

He smirked as if agreeing with me. "Okay then." He simply answered as we finally reached the vacant classroom.

Once we're there, that was when my curiosity was triggered. What are we going to do in a place like this anyway? I looked at him and tried to find a hint from his face but I couldn't find any. And so, thinking it couldn't get any worse, I entered the room with him. But as soon as I did, I caught sight of trouble.

Karin is sitting on one of the chairs in the middle of the room, looking as if she had been waiting for a while now. When she saw us enter the room, her eyes grew wide. "What's going on? I thought you wanted to talk to me, Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke led me to a seat near Karin and he sat down beside me. "I _am_ going to talk to you." He deadpanned.

"Then what is she doing here?" She asked looking at me like I'm a piece of garbage she's itching to throw away.

I was about to answer back when Sasuke overtook me. "She's part of our conversation so she needs to be here." He replied calmly. That annoyed me because Karin obviously just attacked me, yet he still didn't try to defend me. But at least it stopped Karin.

Looking down at her desk, she changed the topic. "So what do you want to talk to me about?"

Honestly, I don't know the approach Sasuke is going to use at Karin. After all, he sided with Karin when I told him Karin is trying to ruin my life. "Hinata wanted to break up with me earlier today. Do you know why?" He started.

Karin looked up with a raised eyebrow, it's obvious she is trying to hide a triumphant smile. "Well, she's just sitting right there, can't I just ask her?" She said, her tone changing into a happier one as she turn to me. "Why? Is it because of me?"

I am aware that she is provoking me, and like earlier, I am ready to take the bait and attack her when Sasuke once again went ahead of me." She said you were giving her trouble. Were you really?" He asked with seriousness and darkness all over his voice.

"Are you accusing me?" Karin sharply replied. Sasuke didn't speak, instead he waited for her to answer him as if he knew Karin would eventually answer him. And surprisingly, she laughed but she did answer. "I've always thought Hinata is a goody two shoes, never figured she's a squealer. But yes, I've been threatening her." She admitted.

"Why?" How he said it was calm, but I suddenly could feel bad vibes coming from him.

"You don't really need to hear that, do you? I want the two of you to break up. It's great to hear it worked pretty well." At this point, I really want to attack her physically especially since she laughed like how that evil queen did in the Disney movie Snow White.

"Why? Didn't I already tell you that Hinata likes me? And I like her too." I know I should have been saying he's the one who likes me but I don't like him. But I just don't feel the urge to. Besides, he's trying to make a point.

Karin shook her head in amusement. "Sasuke-kun, it's obvious that this girl is fooling you. She's been trying to ruin your reputation before she became your girlfriend. Aren't you even the least bit suspicious? And even if you are, you can't pretend you don't just because you like her. It doesn't work that way."

From what Karin said, I was expecting Sasuke to get mad already because, after all, she is implying that Sasuke is being stupid. But his expression is devoid of anything. It was just like he is thinking about what Karin said. How important Karin is to him that even though she admitted she is trying to break us up, he's still contemplating about what he said?

"Are you saying I should be in a relationship with someone I don't like?" He finally spoke.

"I'm just saying you shouldn't make a fool out of yourself for someone you like." Karin answered confidently, like she's sure Sasuke is going to take her advice.

Suddenly, Sasuke's face turned scary. Like he's going to murder anyone in this very moment. "If I want to make a fool out of myself, it doesn't concern you. I know you think you're trying to protect me but you're not. You're being paranoid so you assumed that Hinata is a bad person."

Karin looked like she got scared but still answered. "Are you implying that I'm the one lying to you?" She remarked firmly.

"Are you? Hinata is not who you think she is. Sure, she tried to ruin my reputation but she only did that because she believed I played with Haruno. She's against players so why would she be one?" Sasuke defended me. You could only imagine how I feel right at this moment. What came next was the biggest surprise of all. "I want you to apologize to Hinata now."

Remember when Karin attacked Ino and Sai came to the rescue? He forced Karin to apologize to Ino but she never did. But that was Sai. Sasuke is a different matter. Whatever Sasuke says, Karin does. But right now, Karin seemed to be frozen.

"Apologize to Hinata. Now." He repeated. Sasuke's voice was like thunder, booming throughout the room.

Karin glared at me but when she turned to Sasuke, she looked like a puppy that got kicked. "You're going to regret this when you find out the truth." She said in a low tone. She turned to me and apologized loosely. "Sorry."

As soon as she said that, she stood up from her seat and rushed out of the room. She looked like she was about to cry. Once Karin was gone, Sasuke stood up too and looked at me. "Now that it's settled, we're not breaking up anymore, are we?" He spoke, taking his phone from his pocket and extended it towards me.

Still shocked from everything that happened just now. I nodded and took the cellphone, placing it in my pocket. The next thing I knew, we are walking home together in silence.

Uchiha Sasuke chose me over Karin for the second time. Why did the thought make my heart beat so fast?


	40. 2nd Birthday Part 1

**Hi, guys! Okay, so does anyone have preferred pairings so far?  
**

 **Let me know, okay? :)**

 **Also, I apologize again if I offend you with Hinata's too much OOC-ness. That's just how it is in this story, I guess. Thank you!**

 **Warning: OOC-ness**

 **-Itachi's Queen**

* * *

 **Battling With A Hot Guy**

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 _ **44**_

I can still remember the first time I met Uchiha Sasuke. I was seven year old. My classmates and I were all busy coloring pictures and building undistinguishable structures of lego. Although everyone was in their own group, we were all happy minding our own business. That was until a boy whole look liked a kid you usually see in TV commercials and ads entered our room with a smile that drew everyone's attention. I, on the otherhand, didn't pay him any attention. While everyone crowded him with fascination, I continued coloring some dinosaurs. For me, he was just someone who wanted to be the center of attention so I deprived him of mine.

As you could see, I dislike him even when I was that young. I know that he knew it since then but he continued provoking me. But what I was really pointing out is how much I really dislike him even before he and Sakura-chan broke up. So I couldn't possibly in love with him, right?

Even when I reached home, I still found myself contemplating. And so to distract myself, I decided to give all my energy to our Physics homework. Out teacher asked us to do a research on newly discovered concepts in the subject so I went online and started doing my research.

As I did, I checked my email. And as if Dei, now a friend of mine, has ESP and knew exactly what was going on in my mind, she sent me this email entitled, "Signs of Falling in Love."

Opening the message, I read through it quickly. There are 10 signs written in there.

* * *

 _ **1\. You know you're in love if you can't stop thinking about him.**_

* * *

Alright. Well, I do think about him. But that is because Sakura-chan and I are on a mission to get revenge on him. Plus he is everywhere I go!

* * *

 _ **2\. You call him everyday to talk about nothing.  
**_

* * *

Okay, so technically, I do that. But it wasn't because I wanted to. He forced me to do it so it's still a no.

* * *

 _ **3\. He's the only topic you talk about.**_

* * *

Oh, God. Since when was complaining about someone become a sign of one's infatuation towards that person? I talk about Sasuke all the time not because I like him.

Already sure that the list was erroneous, I decided to give it one more try.

* * *

 _ **4\. Your heart beats wildly every time you see him or when he's near you.**_

* * *

If that was true, then I am not in love, because as far as I can remembermy heart never acted that way when I am with Sasuke. Except for today, I guess. Or did I experience it more than just today?

Closing the email, I went back to doing my research. But I still can't concentrate. For some reason, what Sasuke did earlier was stuck inside my head. I mean, he made Karin apologize to me that no one has ever accomplished, that is why it's a big deal. And how he defended me against Karin really made me wonder if he really felt that way or if he is still teasing me and making a fool out of me like he always does.

Picking up the phone beside the computer, I dialled Ino-chan's number for distraction. I don't know why but calling Ino sounds like a better idea than calling Sakura-chan. Besides, I'm not sure how Sakura will take it if I tell her I'm having confused about my feelings towards Sasuke, her ex-boyfriend. And I still haven't thanked Ino-chan properly for helping me earlier.

 _"Hello?"_ Ino-chan answered after five rings.

"Hey, Ino-chan." I responded immediately. "I just want to thank you for what you've done for me earlier."

Ino answered with a chuckle. _"Don't mention it. And besides, it was actually Gaara who did a lot for you."_ She said teasingly. _"Have you had a proper conversation with Sabaku after he saved you?"_

"Well... No. I still really couldn't face him alone." I suddenly remembered what she told me. "But wait a minute. So you and Sai-kun, huh?" I asked excitedly and teasingly. I have been rooting for them to be together ever since I found out Sai's sincerity.

 _"Yes, we are together officially. Only a fool wouldn't accept a proposal like that. He asked everyone in the varsity to sing for me. I'm never going to forget the date March 14th."_ Upon hearing her, I remember that tomorrow would be my second birthday. _"Oh, hey. Isn't it your second birthday tomorrow?"_

Yup, I technically have two birthdays. My original birthday is December 27th, and March 15th is the one I call second birthday. It was the day I got out of a really, very bad accident and was declared out of danger. I was eight years old when I got kidnapped but my father called the police in time. We were involved in a car chase which almost costed me my life. Imagine the trauma an eight-year-old got. I was very lucky my family and everyone in school who knew are very supportive and caring towards me. My second birthday is almost as important as my original birthday and only very few people who are close to me knew about it.

That is why I am curious how Uchiha Sasuke knew about it. Actually, every year, whenever my second birthday comes, Sasuke would give me small box with nothing inside but a note saying his present is still being prepared. Of course I knew it was another one of his pranks. "You know I don't celebrate this second birthday of mine. This year is no different." I answered her.

 _"But it is going to be different this year because you have a boyfriend. Do you think he'll prepare a surprise for you? Since we still can't celebrate your original birthday because it's during winter break, maybe we could celebrate it this time."_ She asked teasingly again.

It was definite that he would. He'll probably give me the same thing he has been giving me all these years. It was funny how he never got tired of it. "If there's one thing I've learned from being with Uchiha Sasuke, it's never to expect anything from him. He never does anything I expect him to do anyway." Suddenly, I felt something vibrating in my pocket. I took out Sasuke's phone and saw _'wifey'_ flashing on the screen, signaling an incoming call. He must have charged it before giving it to me. "Hey, Ino-chan, I need to go. Someone's calling on my cellphone."

 _"Okay then, I'll see you tomorrow!"_ She chirped then we both hang up.

As I answer the call, my heart started beating fast again. It was like I'm nervous to talk to Sasuke. Probably because he might bring up what happened earlier. "Hello?" I spoke, forcing myself to sound normal and trying to stop my heart from bursting out of its chest.

 _"Is your cellphone retarded? I already beat your high score in Free Kick but it won't save my score."_ He complained immediately as if he just lost a million dollar bet. It was a good thing though, because it broke my nervousness.

"There's nothing wrong with my phone, dummy. You probably just didn't know how to properly save it." Honestly, I normally should be feeling annoyed at something small he's fretting about but surprisingly, I'm not. "If you're really not happy with my phone, just give it back. I don't like yours anyway."

He instantly said no to that. _"You're always saying the opposite of what you really feel. I bet you already checked every single message and picture in it."_ He teased and I could imagine his smirk.

Due to his teasing, my heart started racing again. _What is the matter with you, heart?_ To stop myself, I tried to change the topic. "So are we going to change phones or what? You keep complaining about my phone."

 _"If you think you'll be excused from your probation just because it's your birthday, you're wrong. Let's just meet by your locker tomorrow at exactly seven in the morning, okay?"_

He remembered my second birthday. "Maybe you could just leave me alone as a birthday gift, hm?" He didn't reply.

We hang up after that. He said he still have a homework to do which I doubt.

The next day, as I rush to my locker so I wouldn't be late, knowing he will insult me if I am, I was surprised to find him nowhere. Thinking he's probably late, I decided to wait another five minutes. But he still didn't show up. He didn't even call or send a message.

I caught sight of Sakura and Naruto-kun walking alongside each other. Knowing that Naruto-kun is the Uchiha's bestfriend, I decided to ask him.

"Sakura-chan, Naruto-kun." I called as I approach them. Then I turned to Naruto. "Have you seen Sasuke anywhere?"

Naruto has a curious look, surprised that I asked about Sasuke. "Maybe he's absent." He replied and shrugged like nothing's wrong. But I felt otherwise.

Could it be that Uchiha Sasuke took my words seriously last night?


	41. 2nd Birthday Part 2

**Hi! I'm back for another chapter again! Hehe. I hope someone will like this one!  
**

 **To _Rj/FAN OF U (guest reviewer)_ , hellooo! Thank you so much for your reviews at three of my stories, "Battling With A Hot Guy," "Certified Player" and "Unlikely." WOW. You really made me happy! *tears of joy* see? Hehe. Anyway, I dedicate this chapter to you! I hope to read your reviews again! THANK YOU SOOO MUUUCH! Hugs and kisses!**

 **Credits to Yves_Liong (writer from Wattpad) and Masashi Kishimoto (owner of Naruto).**

 **Warning: OOC-ness**

 **-Itachi's Queen**

* * *

 **Battling With A Hot Guy**

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 _ **45**_

As patiently as I could, I tried to wait for the Uchiha until the bell rang for my first class. There was still no sign of him, and although I would usually feel happy when things like this happen, I am actually worried right now. After all, even if Uchiha Sasuke could be sensitive and a real jerk sometimes, being the Hinata I am, I felt guilty for hurting his feelings, assuming I did when I asked him to just leave me alone for my second birthday. I couldn't even concentrate at class.

As the lunch bell rang, I took out Sasuke's cellphone and was about to call mine since it is in Sasuke's possession when someone suddenly approached me. "Hey, someone asked me to give this to you." A girl who does not belong to our class told me and handed me a folded note.

"Who is it?" I asked, contemplating on whether it is Sasuke or not. If this is one of his _'your present is coming soon'_ letters, I am really going to attack him with complaints and demand gifts when I see him.

She smiled. "Sorry, he said not to tell you. Maybe he just wants to surprise you."

I took the letter from her and said my thanks. When she was gone, I slowly opened the note, ready for Sasuke's prank. But instead what was written was _**"Hey, I prepared something for you. Meet me inside THAT abandoned room."**_

Did I just read the note right? Uchiha Sasuke, the most cold-blooded jerk I know, actually prepared something for me? Unbelievable! But then he stood me up earlier today so that must be the reason why. He was probably too busy preparing that he lost track of time. Wait. Why am I justifying his actions?

I shook my head. It is my "birthday" so maybe he really is making an effort. Feeling excited for my first ever present from Uchiha Sasuke, I quickly shoved the note in my pocket and started packing my things.

Sakura seeing my hastiness, looked at me with a raised brow. "Why are you in a hurry? Do you have plans today that you didn't tell me?" She asked.

"Yeah, I'm meeting Sasuke right now. He said he prepared something for me." I responded trying to hide my excitement as I finish fixing my things.

Her expression changed into a happy one. "You're excited about something Sasuke-kun related? Now that's something new. I won't tease you today since it's your special day. Don't forget to give me an update though, okay?"

I nodded as I started walking towards the door. "I always do anyway." I waved at my bestfriend and walked out of the room.

Once I was out of the room, I rushed towards the room where Sasuke is. The same room where a lot of things happened where he and I are involved. But when I reached it, I hesitated before I held the doorknob and entered. What if he was planning to lock me inside the room again like he did on Valentine's? But then again, if that was the case, he wouldn't have taken so long to prepare, wouldn't he?

Turning the knob and walking inside the room, the sound of a guitar suddenly filled my ears and was followed by the angelic voice I once heard when I met up with Sai about meeting Ino-chan.

There in the middle Sat Sabaku Gaara, singing the song, "One Last Chance."

For a moment, I just stood there, mesmerized by his voice. Even though I was truly amazed by his song, I wasn't getting the message he is giving me through the song. Somehow, my heart wasn't racing like how it should be if I claimed I liked him. Did this mean I don't like him the way I thought I did?

As his song ended, he extened a hand, holding out a small box wrapped in a fancy way. "Happy birthday, Hinata." He said, smiling a bit, unlike the other day when he gave me his lunchbox.

Knowing that if I take his present, it would mean I am giving him another chance. And knowing now that I wasn't in love with him at all, and also a small part of me thinks Sasuke will find out about this and punish me again, I shook my head no. "I'm sorry, Gaara-san." I said, now realizing that it wasn't that I couldn't forgive him these past few weeks. It was that I couldn't accept him.

"Why? You aren't doing anything wrong. Please take this." He replied, pretending not to understand what I meant when I apologized. But his hurt expression and eyes showed that he did understand.

"Gaara... I... really can't accept it." I responded.

He shook his head. "No, you have to. I'm really sorry for making you look like a fool. I was stupid then, I didn't know any better. But don't I deserve another chance?" He remarked, his voice somewhat faltering.

"It's not because of what you did before. I'm not angry about that anymore. In fact, I think somehow, I already forgave you. It's just that... I really _can't_ accept it." I explained as gently as I could, all the while thinking about Uchiha Sasuke finding out and getting furious. "I don't think I... like you."

He fell silent for a moment. "Is that so?" His head down, smiling bitterly. He looked at me in the eyes and I knew for sure I don't feeling anything for him. "I'm sorry for forcing you to like me. I thought you might have felt the same way as I did, seeing how mad you were when you found out I decieved you. I guess I was wrong."

"Don't apologize. You didn't do anything wrong. I also thought I liked you since it really upset me but I realized now that it wasn't like that. Maybe because I liked you being my friend. And even thought I won't ask what you owe Karin to make you decieve me, I understand now." I told him honestly. "Now that we've figured this out, I really hope we could be real friends this time."

He looked like he contemplated at it for a moment before finally answering. "I don't really have a choice, do I?" He joked and then nodded.

Upon hearing his response, I couldn't help but feel glad. "Thank you."

Gaara and I ate lunch together after that. He actually cooked for me and bought me a cheesecake bigger than the cake he gave me back then. But even thought I am actually happy being friends with Sabaku Gaara now, I still can't help but be worried about Sasuke. From time to time, I check my cellphone to see if he called or sent a message. But there was none.

 _You're supposed to be happy he's not bothering you on your special day._ I told myself as I try to concentrate on Calculus class but I just couldn't help but feel guilty for hurting his feelings. Maybe I should call him. Raising my hand, I asked permission to go to the comfort room. When I got there, I immediately dialed his, or my, number. However, he just wouldn't pick up. After the 10th call, I finally gave up. At the back of my mind, he's probably in class so he couldn't answer my call.

I must have looked really upset when I got back to class that Sakura asked me what was wrong. "What's up with you? A few hours ago, you look like the happiest person in the world. Now you look like the saddest person in the world. Did you get into a fight with Sasuke-kun again?" She whispered as the teacher wrote on the board.

Seeing no point in telling her the entire story, I decided to answer her with a nod. "Yeah, but I didn't mean to hurt his feelings. Now he's ignoring me." I also whipered back.

"Then apologize to him." She adviced. "He's probably ignoring you because he wants you to apologize first."

I was surprised that she wasn't mad at me after telling I fought with Sasuke. But is she crazy? Why would I apologize for simply saying something offending when he always did that to me without an apology? That sounded really unfair. I didn't say that to Sakura though, I just nodded at her suggestion and turned back to the teacher.

After class, Sakura and I walked out of the room together. She was going over with how I was supposed to apologize to Sasuke even if I absolutely no plan on doing it. Luckily, Naruto-kun appeared at the end of the hallway and waved at us when he saw us.

I thought he was going to approach Sakura-chan but instead he faced me. "Hinata-chan, did you had a fight with Teme?" He asked, his face completely serious. Okay... Uzumaki Naruto, serious?

"Y-Yes, why?"

"During lunch period, I remember that we have this exam after that Sasuke couldn't miss. So I called him in your number, knowing you two traded phones. But he wouldn't come to school. When I asked him why, he said it has something to do with you." He explained curiously. "I don't like butting in on Teme's business but this time, I need to. He is a smartass but that exam is fifty percent of the grade and he might fail because he missed it. Please call him up and ask to come right now. He can still catch up with the teacher and ask her for a chance."

I frowned at him. "He's not answering my calls."

"He will if you apologize. Send him a text first." Sakura-chan decided to intervene.

"No." I immediately replied. Then I turned away from him. "I'm sorry, Sakura-chan. I need to go to the comfort room."

As I walk away from the two of them, my conscience is eating me alive. And so giving up, I took out his cellphone and called him as I enter the girls's comfort room. For the first time today, he actually picked up my call.

"Sasuke!" I exclaimed as soon as he accepted my call. "You're mad at me, aren't you? I'm sorry about what I said yesterday, okay?"

 _"Where are you?"_ He didn't even say anything about what I said.

"I'm really sorry, okay? So please come to school now." I must look like a complete desperate right now.

 _"I am already here."_ He answered.

I let out a sigh of relief. "Stop fooling around. I'll wait for you at the school gates, okay?" I said, hanging up. Then I walked out of the comfort room.

I walked towards the school gate as I realize what I just did. This is not how I would normally act if Uchiha Sasuke is mad at me. It is also starting to confuse me for real. What is going on? Why is he stirring mixed emotions from me just by his absence.

Suddenly, I was standing face to face with Sasuke who had a precious, familiar figurine clasped in his hands.


	42. 2nd Birthday Part 3

**Okay, so two chapters in one day! Yay or nay? HAHAHA!**

 **Credits to Yves_Liong (writer from Wattpad) and Masashi Kishimoto (owner of Naruto).**

 **Warning: OOC-ness**

 **-Itachi's Queen**

* * *

 **Battling With A Hot Guy**

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 _ **46**_

I have always been close to my mother. She was my playmate whenever she has free time and not taking care of my little sister Hanabi. We would play with dolls and sometimes even hide and go seek. However, when I turned five, she suddenly got sick, which caused her body to become paralyzed. After that day, we couldn't play together anymore.

A week before she died, my father brought me and my brother Neji-nii to her hospital room. After Neji-nii's turn, mother asked me to come to her bedside then she instructed me to turn towards the bedside table. When I did, I saw this beautiful, angelic figurine standing on it. She told me that it belongs to me, that it was something she wanted me to have to remember her by. At that time, I didn't know she was going to die soon so I didn't even feel sad. But after her death, I held onto the figurine more dearly.

So how did Uchiha Sasuke got a hold of it? It became one of the most treasured possessions I've ever had. When I was eight, on the day our teacher asked us to bring the most important thing to us to show and tell, I brought it to school. When it was my turn, I stood in front of the class and told my classmates how important it was to me because it was from my late mother's.

When I walked back to my seat after a round of applause from my classmates, Sasuke reached for the figurine and took it from my hands. "Can I borrow?" He asked too late.

Used to his attitude, I decided to lend it to him. I thought that Sasuke couldn't possibly be too mean to break it. But when I sat down, a fat classmate of ours who sat three seats behind me suddenly stood up and walked towards the front. As he did, his body accidentally bumped into Sasuke's chair causing Sasuke to fall over and drop the figurine on the floor, shattering it to tiny pieces.

Even though it was clearly not Uchiha Sasuke's fault, I really felt angry towards him. I glared at him as tears formed in my eyes. In turn, he looked at me with apologetic eyes, repeating the word, "Sorry" over and over again. That day, the teacher comforted me and reminded everyone not to bring fragile thing again.

For a week, I ignored Sasuke's presence in class. But after that, I started to accept the fact that it wasn't his fault. That didn't mean I became friendly towards him. I always try to just stay out of his way. And as for the figurine, I forgot it over the years.

"Is that what I think it is?" I asked in disbelief, my eyes starting to water as I remember my mother. "How did you manage to fix it?"

Instead of answering, he smirked proudly. "You think I'm awesome now, don't you?" He said, handing it to me. "It's my birthday present. Sorry it took so long."

Suddenly, I realized that all those notes he gave me all these years were simply not a joke or a prank after all. He must have been putting the pieces together or at least asking someone who could, so he could bring it back to me. I felt so light and the thought made my heart flutter. No one has ever done anything this sweet to me before. And I never expected him, of all people, to be the first. I was trying to stop my tears from spilling out and smiled the kindest I have ever been to him. "You're such a fool, you know that? You could have just told me you were doing this instead of giving me those stupid notes." I sniffed as I caress the smooth figurine that felt new despite the crack marks around it.

"If I told you then, you'd only tell me to forget it and that I'd never be able to piece it back together." He seriously said. "What happened to this figurine back then, it was my fault. But look at it now, I managed to at least fix it and put it back together. I guess every mistake a person makes, he can fix over time. So don't worry about my mistake with Sakura. I'll fix it."

My eyes widen at what he just said. He would even do _that_ for me? Or did he somehow find out about our revenge? Before I could speak, Sasuke's phone vibrated in my pocket, ruining the moment completely. I took the cellphone out and answered, "hello?"

 _"Hinata-chan, have you called Teme yet? I've been keeping our teacher inside our classroom but she seems like she'll be leaving soon."_ It was Naruto-kun's voice.

I suddenly remembered Sasuke's situation. "He's already here. We'll go there now." I answered and hang up then turned to Sasuke. "That was Naruto-kun. He wants you to go to your classroom now and ask your teacher to give you a chance to take the exam you missed earlier."

Upon hearing that, he gestured me to walk together. Since I was feeling partly responsible, I agreed. We walked beside each other towards their classroom. "You're worried about me, aren't you?" He said monotonously but I knew deep inside he's teasing again.

Embarrassed to say anything, my cheeks turned red. We walked in silence until we reached the room. "Go on and enter now."

He nodded at me and entered. Once he did, I watched through the glass window of the door to see what was happening inside. When the teacher saw Sasuke, her expression showed worry as she started speaking to him. He remained impassive though despited whatever it was the teacher was saying. It really seemed like everything was going to work out fine until Sasuke looked at me then turned back to the teacher. Suddenly, the teacher frowned as Sasuke speak to her.

Soon, the teacher started towards the door and walked out saying, "I'm sorry but this time, I can't help you with the exam you missed. You should have thought of the consequences before you did what you did." After that, she walked away.

I heard Sasuke and Naruto-kun walking out of the room while arguing, as usual, about his absence and possibly failing. Naruto-kun even mentioned how he was a genius but at the same time stupid. I suddenly felt disheartened. Naruto-kun wasn't really blaming me but I know that Sasuke did something huge for me. Wanting to make things right, I suddenly pushed past the two and headed towards the direction the teacher walked to. I run as fast as I could to catch up with her and when I did, I stood in front of her so she'll stop walking.

I bowed a 90 degree and started begging. "Ma'am, I know this isn't the proper way but I feel really hopeless. Please give Sasuke a chance to take the exam. I know that he was irresponsible but the truth is, his absence wasn't entirely his fault, it's also because of me. So if you can't give him another chance, please tell my teacher to disregard my exam too."

Honestly speaking, I would never say anything like that, even for Sakura-chan. But for some reason, my conscience is telling me to make things right with Sasuke no matter what. Even I couldn't understand what was happening to me.

I stood back up straight and readied myself for the teacher's response. All of a sudden, she smiled at me. "Hyuuga Hinata, right? The truth is, I already approved Sasuke's request. But he asked me not to let you know because he wants to see your reaction."

Hearing her say that, I suddenly felt really angry. I excused myself from the teacher and rushed back to where Sasuke was, ready to attack him. I saw him and Naruto-kun laughing at the same place I left them.

"You think this is funny?! Did you enjoy making me look and feel like a fool?!" I shouted angrily. Feeling so much anger, my eyes started getting teary. "Why are you always so mean to me?"

What is wrong with him? One minute, he's doing something so sweet that makes my heart skip beats and then the next, he turns 180 degree and make me angry.


	43. Reason

**OMGGG! We're getting CLOSERRR TO THE ENDDD! And I'm about to break! Hahaha! I hope someone got that one. LOL!**

 **To _Unfilteredqueen_ and _krengkreng_ , thank you so muuuch! And here's the update! I love you, guysss!**

 **I would like to take this opportunity to emphasize these very consistent readers and reviewers. Hello, _dango-lover17_ , _Gangnam Style X3_ and _I'mawarrior11_! I seriously don't know what to say. I'm very grateful for your consistent honest opinions. I honestly always look forward to reading and seeing your reviews. I wish you'll stay tuned until the very near end. I LOVE YOU, GUYS, SO MUCHHH!**

 **Again, I apologize for typographical errors!**

 **Warning: OOCness**

 **All credits to Yves_Liong (wattpad writer) and Masashi Kishimoto (maker of Naruto)**

 **-Itachi's Queen**

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 **Battling With A Hot Guy**

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 _ **47**_

"If you hate me so much, why did you ask me to be your girlfriend in the first place?!" I yelled at him, thinking that the more times I do, the more times it will hit him.

I was never really a dramatic person, but usually in the dramas I watch, when the guy bullies the girl, the girl cries and gets angry then the guy tells her that he does that because he likes her. But I wasn't actually expecting Sasuke to be exactly like Domyoji. But at least he could be just a little bit similar.

However, Sasuke was never what you expect him to be. "Why else would I tease you if not because I like making you angry?" He remarked with a smirk.

Hearing his response, I felt so stupid for even thinking that he might really have romantic feelings for me. "You're a really awful person, Uchiha Sasuke." Tears started rolling down my cheeks as I whispered but I knew it was loud enough for him to hear.

I saw Naruto elbow Sasuke as I turned. "Hey, she's crying already. Just apologize to her." I heard him told Sasuke as I started walking away.

Unfortunately, Sasuke didn't listen to him since he didn't follow me.

Once I reached home, my tears started drying and I was feeling just a little bit better. I knew that Sasuke would ruin this day for me. I was right. I didn't bother to call him. So what if I broke his rule? His rules are stupid anyway, just like him.

The next day, as Sakura-chan and I walk towards our first class, we happened to pass by Sasuke and Naruto. I completely ignored him.

When Sakura-chan and I reached our room, she immediately questioned my behavior. "Don't tell me you still haven't apologized to Sasuke yet?" She asked as we took our seats.

"This is different from yesterday morning. I was really worried when he said the teacher didn't give him a chance to take the exam he missed. I even begged the teacher because I really thought he would fail. But then I found out it was just another prank and he actually laughed at me." I explained to her defensively.

She raised a brow at me. "That's it? You're mad because of a prank he pulled on you?" She chuckled that made me frown. "What's wrong with you, Hina? He's done a lot more pranks that were worse than that and you never got this mad." She pointed out.

It was true that Sasuke have done more terrible pranks than what he did yesterday like what he did at Valentine's Day. But still, what he did yesterday really ticked me off. "I didn't get then because my pride and feelings weren't hurt, unlike what happened yesterday." I answered.

"What's so different about yesterday's prank?" She asked with a smirk. "You know what I think? You're hurt because now you like him and it upsets you to see that he's not taking your feelings seriously."

Upon hearing her reason, my eyes instantly widened. "W-What? Stop saying nonsense, Sakura-chan. I'm just mad because he made a fool out of me and humiliated me in front of the teacher, and he's not even apologizing." I told her, my cheeks unusually heating up.

She smiled knowingly as the teacher entered, ending our conversation. How could she think and say something so absurd? So maybe I was expecting Sasuke to have feelings for me, but that was all because of the plan. I have to make him fall for me fully before I break his heart, right? And besides, I couldn't possibly start liking someone who enjoys seeing me mad, could I?

When lunch period came, Sakura-chan and I once again began talking about the jerk. "I'm telling you, Sakura-chan. I'm not going to fix things with him. why should I? He's the one at fault. Besides, I don't want to be his girlfriend anymore. Who would be crazy enough to be, when he said he likes seeing his girl angry?" I complaied.

"You probably heard wrong." She replied in disbelief. "Or maybe you got him so angry that he acted that way. After all, you always hurt his feelings whenever you talk to him."

Hurt his feelings? More like the other way around. He is too insensitive to be easily hurt with words. Even when I deliberately tried to hurt him, it never seemed to affect him. "If there's someone who has hurt someone's feelings, it would be him. Wouldn't you get hurt if he told you he likes seeing you angry?" I insisted.

She laughed at my reaction. It was weird because usually, when I tell her these kind of things, she would get mad. But right now, she seems very amused. "So you're expecting him to say he likes you instead?" She remarked teasingly.

"Of course." I answered immediately. Then I continued so she wouldn't misunderstand. "That's the plan, isn't it?"

"You know what, Hina-chan, you're either a very bad liar or a very dense girl. It's obvious you're falling for Sasuke-kun because if you're really upset because of the plan not working, you'd definitely try to patch things up with him to make things work. But because you really got hurt from what he said, you're not doing anything." Sakura-chan said standing up from her seat and started waving at someone.

Soon, Naruto-kun was approaching our table. And behind him was none other than the devil himself, Uchiha Sasuke. It was strange how Sakura wasn't uncomfortable about it anymore but I decided not to think about it anymore. "Sakura-chan, I'm leaving now." I told her hastily and was about to stand up. I was hoping to leave before being seen but then Sasuke already saw me so I had no choice but to stay.

As Sasuke and Naruto-kun took their seats, I took out a notebook and started pretending to read. While Naruto turned his attention to Sakura, Sasuke on the otherhand, is looking at me amusingly as I ignore him.

I tried to peek at him from my notebook but I regretted it immediately when I caught his eyes and he smirked at me. I turned my eyes back to the notebook.

"You're really not going to talk to me?" He started.

"Be quiet. I'm studying." I hissed as I turn the page of the notebook although I wasn't really paying attention to it.

I sent him another glance and saw him raised his brow. "You're really studying?" He asked and stole the notebook from my hands. "Amazing. You can read words upside down?"

Seeing for myself, I realized that the notebook was indeed uoside down. Humiliated by that fact, I quickly took it back from him and placed it in my bag then I stood up from my seat. "I'll just see you in class, Sakura-chan." I remarked as I stood up not waiting for a reply. I started to walk away from them.

"Where are you going?" I heard Sasuke asked.

I craned my neck to look at him with a glare. "I'm going somewhere you can't bother me."

"If you leave now, you'll be breaking two rules and you'll have to take more punishments." He reminded but more so like a threat with that infamous smirk.

I turned my back at him. "I don't care." I replied stubbornly and started walking away.

I heard shuffling of a chair and I'm guessing that's Sasuke. "Are you still mad at me about yesterday?" I knew it, he followed me. Sasuke moved to me side then he began to bargain. "If you stop being mad, I'll give you a surprise."

Annoyed by his nonsense, I faced him with a grim expression. "I'm not as childish as you think who gets excited over surprises. And why are you even trying to cheer me up? Aren't you enjoying the way I'm acting? You should be celebrating since you like making me angry. That's what you want, right?!" I snapped at him. "Why don't you just leave me alone?!"

"Are you sure that's what you want? The last time you said that, you ended up calling me ten times." He remarked teasingly.

He's mocking my worry towards him again. I will never worry about him again next time he got into trouble. "So you're saying you really didn't answer my calls intentionally?" Now I feel foolish for thinking I actually hurt his feelings. "You never really take anything seriously, do you?"

Feeling tired from talking to a good-for-nothing jerk, I faced away from him and started walking ahead of him hoping this time I succeeded on hurting his feelings. But I was wrong because I could hear his footsteps following me as I turn the corner and entered the girl's comfort room.

Even though I wasn't really going to use the toilet, I entered because I want him to stop following me. And so, I took my time inside the comfort room. I washed my hands and let myself think of things but all I my thoughts were about Sasuke. And so I decided to just get out of there. It took up minutes so it was enough time for him to leave me alone.

But when I got out of there, Sasuke is outside, his back to the wall, waiting for me. I had to admit that he looks handsome but I shook my head to stop the thoughts.

I ignored Sasuke and started walking away. "Are you really this blind?" He suddenly spoke from my left, his tone all of a sudden serious.

"What?" I asked and looked at him with a raised brow. "For your information, I'm intentionally ignoring you. I did see you."

I was going to speak some more but then he beat me to it. "I like making you angry." He started walking over to me. "Because only then will you notice me. Now do you understand?"

And with that, he walked past me and disappeared around the corner.


	44. The Punishment

**Thank you to all the readers of my works! You, guys, are the best!**

 **Warning: OOC-ness**

 **Credits to Yves_Liong (writer from Wattpad) and Masashi Kishimoto (maker of Naruto).**

 **-Itachi's Queen**

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 **Battling With A Hot Guy**

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 _ **48**_

What is wrong with me?

Why is my heart still beating so fast as I think of what happened during lunch with Sasuke? Could I really actually like him now?

Wait. What? No! I can't fall for the enemy. Also, by the way Sakura-chan acted earlier, it seemed as if she wanted me to go for Sasuke. Was it possible that Sakura has finally forgiven Sasuke and is now helping him to be happy?

As I walk away from my locker to start heading home, I found myself in deep thought. But then suddenly, I felt a hand on my left shoulder causing me to turn around and see who it was. Why was I disappointed when I saw that it wasn't Sasuke?

"Are you alright? You look like the world is in your shoulders." Gaara said, looking at me with concern.

I smiled at him. "I'm fine. I was just thinking of something..." I answer as we started walking together.

"Thinking about what?" He asked. "Let me guess. You're still thinking about your revenge on Sasuke, right?"

I looked at him in awe. "How did you know? Am I that predictable? Or is it because you just know me well?"

He grinned. Wow. Sabaku Gaara, grinning? "Well, a little bit of both. Ever since I met you, you were always occupied with this revenge business of yours." He replied. "So what's bothering you right now? Your plan seems to be working out just fine."

I raised my brow at him as we walk out of school. "What's with you today? No, wait. It's not only you. Sakura-chan was supposed to be extremely mad at me earlier because I wanted to ignore the Uchiha. But instead, she seemed happy and was even trying to convince me that I may have feelings for Sasuke. And you, a few days ago, you were looking at me with anger because you said you didn't like how I was going about this revenge issue." I let out.

"You're right. I really don't like what you're doing. And I still think this isn't the right thing to do. But since I really want to be your friend, I figured I should support you, no matter what. That's what friends are for, isn't it?" He replied with a smirk. "And who knows? Maybe Haruno figured out the same thing."

Hearing what he said, I wonder if he meant that Sakura-chan has already approved of me and Sasuke together. "So you're saying that Sakura-chan might actually want me to like the Uchiha?"

Unfortunately, before Gaara could say anything, someone from behind suddenly called me. I already know who it is from his voice though. I still turned to see who it is and I am right, it's Uchiha Sasuke.

My heart started beating wildly again as Sasuke look at me with a frown. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

That was when I remembered that he and I are supposed to walk home together. Turning to Gaara with an apologetic smile, I spoke to him. "I'm sorry for cutting our conversation short but I have to go now."

He nodded in understanding. "Good luck with your... business." He smirked at me and then he started walking away.

I turned to Sasuke as I smile and shook my head at what Gaara said. I saw Sasuke started walking towards me with a dark expression. "Do you have any idea how many rules you've broken so far?" He asked as he grabbed my hand and started walking with me. Well, actually he started dragging me.

Normally, I would be extremely annoyed at his actions. But surprisingly, right now, I'm not. I'm guessing it's because I'm too busy trying to stop my racing heartbeat as it continued due to his touch. "O-of course." I answered trying to sound as normal as I can be. "Three?"

He shook his head and raised his hand with five fingers up. "Five. You didn't go home with me yesterday, you didn't call me, you didn't eat lunch with me, you talked to another guy and now, you're about to go home without me." He said lowering a finger upon mentioning each reasons. "That means you're going to have five punishments."

As he spoke, I couldn't fully concentrate. I kept wondering how he could be acting like nothing happened earlier. "What?" I asked absent-mindedly.

"I'm giving you five punishments." He repeated as a smirk formed on his lips. "Unless you give me a kiss."

Upon hearing that, I snapped back to reality. "Are you crazy?! No way!" I exclaimed instantly, escaping from his grip and slapping his arm lightly. But then I figured two could play this game. "That would be breaking my rule. You don't want me to punish you, don't you?"

"Technically, I won't be breaking your rule if you're the one who's going to kiss me. But since you don't want to, fine. How do you plan to pay your wrong-doings?" He remarked facing me, crossing his arms in front of him.

Is he actually giving me a chance to choose my punishment? And so, I let out the sweetest smile I could muster. "Can't I just not be punished anymore?" I said in my nicest, sweetest voice that I use to escape whenever Neji-nii gets mad at me.

For a moment, I saw a gentle stare from Sasuke's eyes but then it was gone in an instant. "Nice try but no." He answered firmly. By then, we are standing in front of my house. "Meet me at school tomorrow morning."

I pouted. "Fine." I agreed, having no other choice. "See you tomorrow then." I was going to turn my back on him when he suddenly grabbed my hand again. I turned to him with wide eyes and my heart started its stupid wild beating again. "Y-yes?"

"I'm sorry."

If my eyes could widen even more, it will. What did Uchiha Sasuke just say?

"For everything I have done that caused you negative feelings towards me, I'm sorry." He said seriously. "See you tomorrow." Then he turned around and walked away.

My hand went to my chest as I feel my heart still racing. Just an apology from him and all my anger, stress, confusion, fear and more negative feelings dissipated. What is Uchiha Sasuke doing to me?

That night, I couldn't help but be in deep thought again. A lot has happened, and I wonder what it was that Sasuke is planning to do tomorrow. Could he be planning another date like what he did the last time? But when I called him, he said that I should wear something comfortable enough to do sports. He wasn't planning to ask me to play basketball with him, was he?

When my alarm started ringing the next day, I still didn't want to get up. It was a beautiful Saturday morning, who would want to get out of bed this early? But then my phone started vibrating on my desk.

 **[If you're not here in 30 minutes, you'll get a heavier punishment.]**

Ugh.

Feeling really lazy, I got up and started getting ready. It's almost been 30 minutes when I arrived in front of the school dressed in my P.E pants and loose sweatshirt. Sasuke is sitting on the front steps, a ball in hands. Upon seeing me, he looked at his watch and smirked.

"Just in time."

"What are we going to do?" I asked him, yawning, as he stood up and started walking towards the basketball court. "Wait a minute, are you actually going to ask me to play ball?!"

He turned around to face me. "We're playing a game today, truth or dare. But instead of bottle, we'll use this ball. If you shoot a ball, you can ask me a question or make me do something. But if you don't, it's my turn to do so. The same goes if I shoot the ball or not." He said as he dribbles the ball.

I shook my head immediately. "NO. This isn't fair. You're a basketball varsity, and a good one at that. I'm not even sporty!" I objected, placing my hands on my waist.

"Weren't you the one who said I'm overrated? Not all basketball players are good in shooting." He responded with a playful smirk. "Besides, you don't really have any right to object. This is your punishment, remember?"

"Still, isn't this-" I was cut off when he suddenly threw the ball at me, causing my reflex to catch the ball.

"You go first so you wouldn't feel you're at a disadvantage."

Having absolutely no experience of playing basketball in my entire life, I walked over to the line where Sasuke is standing at, with my hands holding the ball nervously. Without any other thoughts, I raised the ball and threw it in the air. Unfortunately, I was unaware that the ball feels heavy when being thrown, so it reached halfway before it began falling to the ground.

Getting the ball, Sasuke smirked victoriously. Then he walked over to me with the ball in his left hand. "So what do you choose? A question or an action?"

"I'll take a question." I answered immediately, not wanting to make a fool of myself.

"Okay then." His expression turned serious and I could swear for a moment I thought he'd ask me if I'm only dating him for revenge. "Do you find me handsome?"

Seriously? Feeling relieved and a bit bewildered that he asked that question, I tried to stop my laugh. "Of course you are. You even have your own fanclub, don't you?" I answered, trying to look relaxed but I felt my cheeks turn hot unexpectedly.

"I'm not asking if people see me as handsome. I'm asking if _you_ see me as handsome." He said looking at me directly in the eyes, as if already aware that it would make me uncomfortable.

Facing away from him, I answered in a small voice. "I do."

I guess he was satisfied with my answer, though I'm sure he hardly heard it, he turned around to make a shot. I was actually expecting, or rather, was sure he'd shoot it successfully. But the ball just hit the ring and bounced off. "Looks like I'm losing my touch." He said with a smirk as he turn to me, and I was sure he purposely did it. "So what's your question?"

I thought for a moment before I figured out what to ask. After all, he did say we have to answer the questions honestly, and he didn't set any boundaries. "Why did you break up with Sakura-chan that way?"


	45. Answers

**Warning: OOC-ness**

 **Credits to Yves_Liong (writer from Wattpad) and Masashi Kishimoto (maker of Naruto).**

 **-Itachi's Queen**

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 **Battling With A Hot Guy**

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 _ **49**_

For a moment, I thought I saw hesitance in his eyes but then he looked at me in the eyes. "Because it's the truth. I really was tired of playing." He answered straightforwardly, like there was nothing wrong with what he did to Sakura-chan. He didn't even seems the least bit ashamed.

Now I don't know what to feel by his answer. I was hoping he'd at least say that he did like my best friend and that his feelings for her just faded so he broke up with her. But from what he said, he was implying that he didn't like Sakura-chan at all. "If you knew all along that you'd get tired of playing, then why did you play with her in the first place? Why her and not some other girl in your fans club?!" I asked angrily, my hands clenching at my sides.

"Why are you so mad? Weren't you the one who said out loud that I should give Sakura a chance because she's a good person and she deserves a chance with me?" He answered back, turning serious.

He was right, I did say that. Back then Sakura-chan complains everyday that Sasuke was ignoring and rejecting her confession and advances. I didn't realize that he heard what I said but it still wasn't a pass for him to play with Sakura-chan's heart. "I did say that but that's more reason not to play with her feelings. How can you do that when she's a very nice person?"

He looked down and shook his head with a grim smirk. "You make it sound like I enjoyed hurting her feelings." He remarked in a seemingly hurt tone. Could I actually have managed to finally get through to his sensitive heart? Wait. What? "When I heard you say that, even the dobe started convincing me to give Sakura a chance. He said I had nothing to lose and who knows, maybe Sakura really was meant for me."

When I heard his last statement, it's as if someone pierced my heart with a needle. What was that? Ignoring what I felt, I raised my brow at Sasuke in disbelief. "You expect me to believe that? If that was true then why did you break up with her as if she was some toy you got tired of playing?" I shot at him.

"How many times do I have to tell you? I was simply telling the truth. Would you rather I told her my feelings for her faded?" He asked as if I read my mind.

I nodded. "Yes, I would."

He chuckled darkly at what I said. "Do you think she'd move on if I said that? She'd only try to think of ways to get back the feelings she believed I had for me. She'd force me _again_ to be with her." Then he suddenly stopped speaking.

Wait. "What did you just say?"

"Nothing. Forget it."

I shook my head. "So you think Sakura-chan finally moved on?" I'm trying to control my rage again as Sasuke seemed not to care that Sakura-chan was hung up on their break up.

"Would she have allowed you to go out with me if she hadn't?" He remarked suddenly making me think about my assumption yet again.

Could it really be true that the reason why Sakura was so excited about our plan on making Sasuke fall for me was because she's ready to let go and make Sasuke happy, and not because of revenge? After all, even Gaara somewhat agreed on it. And seriously, my heart just won't stop beating wildly while he's near me. Maybe it's time for me to drop this revenge thing and start enjoying Sasuke's company, the way Sakura-chan wanted me to.

I was about to open my mouth to speak when Sasuke threw the ball back to me. "That's enough questions. You were supposed to ask only one but you already asked way too many. If you want to ask more, shoot the ball." The tension from our earlier argument started dissipating.

Now that I have an idea how heavy the ball is, I threw the ball with greater force, causing it to hit the inner part of the ring, turning round and round. I silently prayed for it to go in.

After a moment, the ball finally stopped and got inside the net. Feeling lucky, I smiled victoriously and stuck my tongue out at him. "You didn't think I'd shoot that, didn't you?" I bragged.

"Beginner's luck." He shrugged. "You better a very important question now because you might not be able to shoot another ball after this."

I glared at him as I thought of a question. Since we were settled with his break up, I decided not to ask anything related to it anymore. Besides, from what he said, I am beginning to think that maybe he isn't really the cold-hearted, insensitive player I thought him to be.

When he pointed out that he dated Sakura-chan because I said so, for some reason, I felt good inside. I know I shouldn't have felt like that but I did. What else could I ask him? Then I remembered something.

"You seem to know Karin personally. Why do you seem like you trust her so much? What's with you and her?" I asked trying not to sound as if I were some jealous girl because I wasn't. I'm just really curious what's with him and Karin.

"Why do you want to know? Are you jealous?" He smirked mischievously.

"Why would I be jealous? I'm just curious!" I answered, feeling my cheeks turn hot. "Just answer the question!"

"First of all, you asked two questions. Second, it's because she's Naruto's cousin. Karin is actually a good person. It's not that I trust her so much, it's just I've known her for a long time and even if she goes to extreme lengths, I know she wouldn't do things without a strong reason."

Knowing how he was anticipating my reaction, I planned not to show any. Unfortunately, my mouth acted before my mind could order it to keep quiet. "If she's so special to you, why didn't you just choose her?" I muttered, hopefully my voice isn't as annoyed as I hope it wouldn't.

"So you are jealous." He spoke with an amused expression. "I didn't say she was special to me but anyway. When we were in sixth grade, I always went home late because of playing basketball. In one of those days, I forgot my bag inside the gym so I went back. I saw this girl who is busily writing in her notebook, at first I didn't find it strange. But then the next time I saw, she's still busy writing and studying. I started to pity her. The next day after basketball practice, I approached her and learned that she was waiting for her cousin Naruto to finish his own Soccer practice. I brought a board game that day and told her to play with me to pass the time. She was hesitant at first but I managed to make her play with me. I saw how happy she was and I felt good inside since I did something good for someone not myself. Sometimes, Naruto would join us at our dismissal games. I began to trust her but not like how much I trust Naruto. Just enough for her to trust me too."

As I listen to him, knowing he was talking about Karin, I could feel my heart ache a little. Could I really be jealous of his relationship with Karin? "If that's how close you are to Karin, then maybe you should have really gone out with her and not me." I tried to hide the hurt in my voice. But I actually meant it because she seemed to really match him.

"I don't want to go out with her. She's like a little sister to me like Naruto is like a brother to me." My brain cheered at what he just said. Seriously, Hinata. "Are you satisfied with my answer?"

I nodded. "Yes, I am." I said, surprisingly relieved. What is going on with me? I couldn't just like him after hating him for so long, right? It just doesn't make sense.

He walked towards the ball and picked it up. "Since I've been answering your questions even if you didn't win them, it's my turn." He dribbled the ball and effortlessly shoot it successfully. I knew he purposely didn't shoot it earlier. He turned to me. "So?"

"I'll go with a dare."

He smirked playfully. "I dare you to call five people on your phone and say nothing but, _'I love Uchiha Sasuke.'_ You can't explain anything to them." He said, handing my cell phone to me.

Thinking of the people I could call, I tried to recall my phone book. Definitely not Sakura-chan and Gaara. I suppose I could call Ino-chan, which left my with 4 people. Ugh. No, I can't do this. Feeling defeated, I handed him back the phone. "I give up. Truth it is."

It took a moment before he finally spoke. "This question, you really have to answer truthfully, okay?" He said, as if my answer to his question earlier was untrue. "Place your right hand over your heart. This way you can't lie."

Raising my brow at him, I found myself unable to believe that he believe in such silly things. He's Uchiha Sasuke for Pete's sake. "Isn't it only girls who believe in promising something with hands over their hearts?" I told him teasingly.

"What's the matter? Wasn't it you who started the rumor about me being gay?" He shot back making me blush guiltily. "Besides, sometimes you, girls, do reasonable things. Since you trust you heart so much, you would never try to lie to your hearts, would you?"

"Fine." I answer doing as instructed. "Ask away."

His expression turned very serious. "Do you seriously like me?"

I took a breath before I answered. While my hand is in my heart, I finally have a conclusion why my heart is beating wildly when he is around and why I didn't hate him anymore because I really liked him now. So I answered truthfully. "I do."

When hearing that, I saw the most handsome smile my eyes has ever laid upon. "I like you too."


	46. Frenemy

**THANK YOUUU! OMGGG! MY HEAD IS GOING TO EXPLOOODE BECAUSE OF TOO MUCH HYYYPE!**

 **THIS. STORY. IS. ENDINGGG!**

 **WARNING: OOC-ness**

 **Credits to Yves_Liong (writer from Wattpad) and Masashi Kishimoto (maker of Naruto).**

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 **Battling With A Hot Guy**

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 _ **50**_

Normally, after some sort of revelation like that, especially in dramas, the leading man would kiss or hug the heroine. But Uchiha Sasuke wasn't always the type to follow trends so that probably wouldn't happen. Then again, he always does the opposite of what I expect so before he could do anything, I took out his cellphone from my pocket and pretended to read a message I received. _  
_

"Sasuke, I need to go. My brother just sent me a message saying he needs me home now." I told him, placing the phone back to my pocket before he try to snatch it from me to find out if what I said is true.

But, of course, he knew better. He raised an eyebrow at me. "Hyuuga Neji knows my number?" Sounding a bit suspicious.

I nodded in reply. "O-of course he does. I told him I swapped phones with Sakura-chan so I gave him your number in case he tries to reach me." I answered convincingly.

The truth is, Neji-nii have no idea that I didn't have my cellphone with me. He rarely calls or texts me so I think it was fine.

Upon hearing my answer, Sasuke smirked. That smirk which tells me he knows something I don't. And now I know exactly that I was busted.

"Is that so? Then why did someone named _Nii-sama_ in your phonebook sent me a message saying he forgot he has a meeting so he couldn't take you and Hanabi to the mall later?"

Okay... So what he said was true. Neji-nii, Hanabi and I has plan to go out later today. Calm down, Hyuuga Hinata. Do. Not. Panic. I wasn't completely busted, right? "Hey! Why did you read even my personal messages?!" I snapped at him. An obvious attempt to change the topic and direct an accuse at him.

"Why don't you do the same?" He answered back with a smirk.

Actually, I did read one message from his heartthrob of a brother. But it wasn't intentional! I was in class during that time and the phone kept on vibrating so I took it from my pocket to stop it. It turned out to be Uchiha Itachi asking Sasuke where he placed the basketball. And then followed by a lecture to put back the ball where it should be. And a threat to put back Itachi's books back in his room or he swear to God he'll destroy Sasuke's room using just a pinky finger. Which was so funny by the way! Who knew the heartthrob _and_ genius Uchiha Itachi could talk like that?

Nevertheless, he was right. I did the same so I decided to drop the subject.

"Whatever." I mumbled then I returned to my first agenda. "Anyway, can I go now? I still have a lot of homework to do."

"Are you saying your homework is more important than your boyfriend?" He said with a frown.

"Yes." I said flatly.

"You still can't go home yet. I'm still not satisfied with your punishment."

I frowned too but it feels so fake. I am actually enjoying our time together. Even if it's a punishment. My heartbeat is still not slowing down because of the confession which we're both trying to ignore. "What? How much longer do I have to stay then?"

He smirked evily as he raise two fingers. "Two more hours." He said and then his evil smirk just got more evil. Or is that even a thing? "Unless you give me a kiss."

I absolutely have no idea why but upon hearing that, I actually walked over to him with an equally evil smile and gave him a quick peck in the side of his lips. And exactly right after, I started running away the gym and towards my house.

It was only then a realization hit me. It was like my heart is about to explode. I just kissed Uchiha Sasuke. But that wasn't the fact that bothered me. It was not knowing the real reason why I did what I did. Did I kiss Sasuke because I wanted to? Do I actually like him enough to want to kiss him? I even smiled unconsciously while I was doing it. And Sasuke looked really surprised when I did it. Maybe I did what I did to make up for all the times he surprised me.

When I got home, as if Sakura-chan has an ESP, the phone rang with her on the line. _"Hina! You were on a date with Sasuke-kun just now, were you?"_

"Hey, are you spying on me? How did you know?" I exclaimed at her.

 _"I heard it from Naruto."_ She answered. _"So how did it go?"_

I felt myself blush as I remember my foolish actions. "It went well but it's not really a date. It's my punishment for breaking his rules." I replied.

She laughed. _"How can a punishment go well? It must be a date for it to have ended well. And for you to actually say a date with Sasuke-kun went well, something must have happened. Spill it out, Hina-chan!"_ She responded with both teasing and excitement.

"Well..." I started but I really couldn't figure out how to let things out. Especially since he was my bestfriend's ex-boyfriend. I'm not completely sure if I could tell him my newfound feelings for Uchiha Sasuke. But then again, lately, she's been acting like she wanted me to go for Sasuke. And so to be sure, I have to confirm my theory first. "Sakura-chan, would you be mad if I were to say I'm starting to like Uchiha Sasuke? I mean, it'snotlikeIlikehimrightI'mjustwondering."

I heard her chuckled and then sighed. _"Calm down, Hinata. Didn't I answer this before? Even if I'd feel hurt if I find out like Sasuke-kun, I wouldn't oppose it because I value our friendship more than anything."_ She spoke and then sighed again. It's as if she wants to say something but stopped herself. _"Wait a minute... You like him already, do you?!"_

"I... I think so..." I said in a whisper, feeling embarrassed since I actually vowed I'll never like or fall in love with Uchiha Sasuke. "Are you really okay with it?"

 _"Yes, of course!"_ She answered almost too immediately. _"So don't feel guilty, okay?"_

"Then... Can I ask you another question? Do you think it's possible for someone who just started liking someone to want to kiss that someone?"

There was sudden shuffling noises on the the other line, she was probably surprised by my question. _"Hyuuga Hinata! You kissed Uchiha Freaking Sasuke?!"_

"I-i-it was just a p-peck!" Yes, on the side of his lips. God, Hinata! "Anyway! Just answer my question, please?"

She laughed so much I wanted to scream and ask the floor to swallow me. _"Actually, Hina-chan, I don't believe you've only started liking Sasuke-kun. I think it's been there since grade school. I know exactly what you're going to say. It's impossible, blah, blah, blah. You think it's impossible because you were trying to ignore him especially when he always went out of his way to talk to you which you say is annoying and try to ignore him. But look at it this way, maybe the reason why you're doing that is because you're trying to fight and resist the attraction you actually feel towards him?"_

"No offense, Sakura-chan, but that theory sounds absurd. The only reason why I kept ignoring him was because I couldn't take all those stupid things he did." I told her not wanting to believe that I have hidden feelings for my former enemy.

She just wouldn't accept my denial though. _"So then how would you explain your kissing him then?"_ She shot at me. _"Face it, Hinata. You're been in love with Uchiha Sasuke."_

Those last words of Sakura-chan before we hang up haunted me for the rest of the day. It even kept me up all night. Could it really be that I just didn't like him? Could I really be in love with Uchiha Sasuke? But just a few days ago, I hated the thought of him. How could I easily have a change of heart? Is what Sakura-chan said really the most sensible explanation?

The next day, I had no trouble waking up on time even if I hardly got any sleep. As early as 20 minutes before the bell ring, I was already by my locker getting the books I needed for my class. When I started walking to the classroom, I bumped into Ino so we ended up conversing.

"How are you? Did something good happen?" I asked noticing she's beaming.

"I'm fine. I'm just excited because I'm throwing a surprise birthday party for Sai today." She responded, looking around to make sure no one heard besides me. "I can't tell you the details but you'll see later."

I nodded in understanding. "I see. Good luck with that then."

"Thanks!" She replied with a grin. "Well, I better go. See you later!"

I said goodbye too and continued towards my destination. However, upon doing so, I was once again distracted by a familiar voice speaking from a classroom nearby. Thinking it was Sakura-chan, I walked over to the classroom door. The door was slightly opened so I was able to get a glimpse. It is indeed Sakura with Sasuke.

Sasuke was standing in front of Sakura with hands on his side pockets. He has a serious expression on mirroring Sakura's. At that moment, I was thinking that Sasuke is really doing his promise to fix things with Sakura-chan. But then I heard what Sakura-chan spoke of next.

"What's the matter? You don't believe me? Listen to, Sasuke-kun. Hinata-chan is not the type who forgets easily. Yes, she forgives but not when it's about her friends. When she found out Gaara lied to her, she never gave him another chance. She even pushed aside her feelings for him. What makes you think she'd forgive you so easily?"


	47. Realization

**Credits to Yves_Liong (writer from Wattpad) and Masashi Kishimoto (maker of Naruto).**

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 **Battling With A Hot Guy**

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 _ **51**_

Upon hearing those words from Sakura, my initial thoughts were maybe I was in a drea, a nightmare to be specific. I mean, how could Sakura, my bestfriend, say something like that after what we talked about yesterday? It just doesn't make sense. I pinched myself so hard maybe I'd wake up. But I didn't.

My next assumption was maybe it wasn't Sakura. Maybe it was Karin. But no, I couldn't be wrong with that voice. Opening the door wider making a cracking noise, the two people turned towards me. Sakura looked surprised, but Sasuke's face remained stoic. There was already tension building up between Sakura and I so I decided to break the silence.

"What's going on?" I asked, pretending not to overhear what Sakura said. Maybe I misunderstood?

I was really expecting for Sakura to cover up her actions, after all, she is betraying me, her bestfriend. But no, I was wrong. She looked at me straight in the eyes. "You just came in the right time, Hinata-chan. I was just telling Sasuke-kun about how we succeeded in making a fool out of him." Her tone was a cold as ice.

Sasuke's eyes turned to me. He looks like he's checking my face for any hint of assurance that Sakura is lying. But I was never good at lying and faking my expression, and Sakura knows that so she was glad I came. But I want to convince Sasuke what I told him yesterday was true. "What do you mean, Sakura-chan?"

"What I mean is, I already told him about how you managed to get revenge on him by making him fall for you. He really believes you like him as much as he likes you after all those plans we perfectly executed. Isn't it great?" It was as if words coming out of Sakura's mouth are knives stabbing right through my heart. I couldn't make out anything to say out of shock as she looks at me like she just won a million dollar. Then she turned to Sasuke. "What you did for her yesterday was really sweet by the way. Saying you like her after she told you she likes you, and all."

I looked up at Sasuke's face. There is only one emotion I could read in his eyes. Disappointment. It was quich how he devoided his face of any emotion as he turn his back from us. He started walking towards the door but he stopped and spoke. "Congratulations. You got what you want. I hope you're happy now."

And with that, he left the room. As soon as he did, my tears started to form and cloud my eyes. "Why did you do that?!" I exclaimed angrily.

With Sasuke out of the room, Sakura's cold and confident facade suddenly became different. She looks like she was about to cry but she managed to speak with a firm voice. "Why are you so worked up with what I just did? You agreed when we planned the whole thing!"

"That was before, Sakura-chan. Didn't you listen to a word I said yesterday?" I shot at her as tears started trickling down my cheeks. "You even told me I was already in love with him for a long time. And that you wouldn't be against us if I continued with my feelings. How could you do this to me?"

"You said yesterday that you've only started liking him. You rejected my theory, didn't you? If that's true, then you don't have to worry about losing Sasuke because you'll get over it easily." She didn't even show a hint of concern about hurting me, the bestfriend she claimed to never turn away from no matter what. "Look, I'm not at all sorry for what I just did. I know that I seem like the bad person right now but you have to understand me, Hinata-chan. When you first told me your plan, I asked myself _'could I really stand seeing my bestfriend fall in love or even just pretend to fall in love with the guy I love?'_ I answered myself after witnessing your first move. And I realized that I couldn't stand it, believe me I tried. It made me feel like I lost twice. But then this idea formed in my head. And after which I found myself even enjoying every moment you and Sasuke spend time together, thinking in the end, I'd win the more time he gets closer to you."

Feeling furious at what she revealed, I decided to just leave before I even hurt her physically. Besides, I need to find Sasuke and at least try to explain. I couldn't forget that flash of disappointment, it was quick but it hurt me to see him like that. He admitted to liking me so he was probably not only mad, but furious. I'd feel the same way if I was in his position, I hated being deceived. How did I ended up being the one I hated? Gaara was right. Uchiha Sasuke has to know what happened these past few days were sincere. Even if it wasn't enough to make him forgive me, at least I could lighten his anger.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find him anywhere. It's as if he left the school. I was about to look for him in the gym but I saw in the clock at the main building that the bell is going to ring in two minutes so I gave up and went to my class. I'm going to look for him at lunch.

When I reached the classroom, everyone's in their seats already and the only vacant one is beside Sakura, my seat. Having no choice, I sat there and the teacher started walking in. It was uncomfortable to sit beside Sakura now. Yes, I do understand her. But why didn't she just tell me so I could have just stopped? Does it mean she planned to hurt both Sasuke and I?

I wasn't even able to concentrate on the classes. As soon as the bell ring and the teacher dismissed us, I stood up from my seat and hurriedly grabbed my things and then rushed out of the room. I went straight to my locker to put my things there and then I checked my phone. Expectedly, I have no messages or calls from Sasuke. But I kind of hoped he'd do the opposite, like how he always does.

Trying to console myself, I reasoned that he couldn't call or send me a message because he was in class, of course. I dialed my number while telling myself that if he answers, then he wasn't really mad at me. After eight rings, I was beginning to think he really is furious.

 _Don't give up just yet. He's probably still packing his things or something._

I gave it a try once again. He still wouldn't pick up after five rings. I was about to give up, my finger already reaching for the cancel button when he answered.

"Sasuke! We need to talk. Can we meet in the classroom we were in this morning?" I immediately said, afraid he will hang up if I took time to say what I wanted to say.

 _"Hyuuga Hinata?"_ It wasn't Sasuke. It was Uzumaki Karin. _"Sasuke is not here right now. He left his phone with me. He said if you called, I should tell you he can't talk to you and he can't have lunch with you right now."_

Is Karin telling me that Sasuke is avoiding me? But he wouldn't leave a message for me if he doesn't want to talk to me anymore, right? "Is that so? Cane you tell him to call me back later?"

Suddenly, Karin laughed. _"You still don't get it, do you? He doesn't want to talk to you anymore. So stop bothering him."_

Thinking she's just provoking me, I responded defensively. "Why would I do that? I _am_ his girlfriend."

 _"You really have the nerve to still call yourself his girlfriend after he already found out about your deceit? You're something else, Hyuuga. You're even worse than your bestfriend."_

For the first time, Karin's words actually got to me. If she knew what happened just earlier today, then that meant Sasuke told her. Or Sasuke told Naruto and Naruto being Karin's cousin, told her. That means Sasuke is definitely affected. He wouldn't tell his bestfriend if it didn't get to him badly, right? And it is hurting me that I hurt Sasuke badly.

But one other thing bothered me. Was what Karin said true? Am I really worse than Sakura? So maybe it was my idea in the first place. And it is my fault that Sakura betrayed me. But in the process, I really am having real feelings for him. Wasn't that supposed to void my first intention? Have I really become that bad?

I found myself realizing something. All those times, I thought I was battling with Uchiha Sasuke. All the effort I gave, I thought they were all to fight my own battle with the hot guy. I was wrong. It wasn't me who was battling with Uchiha Sasuke for Sakura after all.

It was Sakura battling with Sasuke using me.


	48. Avoid

**Credits to Yves_Liong (writer from Wattpad) and Masashi Kishimoto (maker of Naruto).**

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 **Battling With A Hot Guy**

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 _ **52**_

"Hinata-chan, can I join you?"

A voice I recognize to be Naruto's spoke as I stare lifelessly at my lunch. I do not even have appetite at the moment. I looked up at Naruto and nodded with a forced smile as I watch him take the seat across from me.

"Why are you alone? Did you and Sakura-chan fight?"

I let out a deep sigh to prepare for a long explanation. Naruto and I have been close when Sasuke and Sakura started going out. My previous crush for him faded but I actually experienced what a good friend he is. So I decided I could trust him. He's Sasuke's bestfriend so maybe he could tell Sasuke. "It's worse than that. My thoughts were wrong. Sakura-chan told me she'd be fine with it if I started having feelings for Sasuke. But she was lying. She never wanted me to like Sasuke. I can't believe I was so stupid to actually think she'd be okay with it. And now, I'm left with nothing at all. I turned out to be a really bad person."

When I finished my little piece, he was looking at me with confused expression. "Okay, can we please talk about it slowly? I did't get what you just said. What exactly happened between you and Sakura-chan?"

I've always thought Naruto has a thing for Sakura. I am not sure if I should be speaking badly about her, and telling him what a horrible person I am, but I know Naruto is being a friend to me. He's a genuine person and he always sees the good in people. I sighed and decided to explain it better. "Sakura betrayed me. When we plotted this revenge against sasuke, I was in control. Sakura was only helping me. But then all of a sudden, she spills the cat out of the bag without telling me first about her plan. And now, Sasuke probably thinks I'm evil."

With his forehead furrowed, he asked me a question that really got to me. "Wait a minute. What's wrong with that? Isn't it part of the plan to break it to him when he's completely fooled by you? Shouldn't you be expecting him to think that way about you from the day you started planning revenge against him? Who wouldn't get mad at the person who wants to ruin his life?"

He is right. Sakura just went on with the plan. But then she knew how I felt and she even encouraged my feelings for Sasuke. Still, I did say before that friendship is more important than a boy. As I was busy analyzing my thoughts, I looked up at Naruto and he has this wide smile that says he figured something out.

"Hinata-chan, you have fallen for your own trap, didn't you? You have fallen in love with Sasuke teme."

Why does he look so happy at his realization? Shouldn't he be mad as Sasuke's bestfriend that I just admitted to him how I plotted a revenge against his bestfriend and now we've completely hurt Sasuke. I decided to just admit defeat. "You know, Sakura had known about it even before yesterday and just yesterday, she was supporting me about my feelings for Sasuke. And then she suddenly went up to Sasuke and told him everything."

"Hinata-chan." I know Naruto's personality and I expected him to actually defend Sakura's actions. "You don't deserve a friend like Sakura-chan. I know she's been doing bad things to you behind your back, hasn't she?" I was surprised at what Naruto just said and how serious he look.

Before I could answer him, my eyes caught a glimpse of the cafeteria door open and I saw Ino and Sasuke talking to each other.

Now I wasn't the type to feel jealous whenever I see a person I like talking to a girl. I mean, what is wrong with talking? But as I started following them with my eyes, I could feel something in the pit of my stomach. And Naruto, having noticed my sudden distraction, he followed my gaze and spoke out exactly what I was thinking. "What are those two doing together? Shouldn't Ino be with Sai today? It's Sai's birthday after all. Sai mentioned earlier about having a special lunch date with her."

I recalled Ino saying saying something similar today. But maybe she has change of plans? "Maybe they're planning a surprise."

"I guess. Wait. I'm closer to Sai. Why didn't Ino ask me?" Naruto complained as he took a bite off his sandwhich. "So what do you plan to do with that Teme now?"

"I have to talk to him. I need to let him know the truth. But the thing is, he doesn't like he wants to talk to me. He left his cellphone with Karin. It seems like he is avoiding me. What should I do, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto chuckled nervously. "Actually, Teme left his phone to me but my crazy cousin stole it from me saying I'm careless." I stared at Naruto dumbfoundedly. If Naruto was supposed to keep Sasuke's phone, I would have had more chance of talking to Sasuke. But it's not his fault. Karin is really just a sneaky one. "Uh, I think it's going to be hard for you to explain this to him, Hinata-chan. After all, he's just as stubborn as you. Well, he's more stubborn than you."

Before I could respond, I saw Sai walk inside the cafeteria with a phone in his ear. He was looking around until his eyes finally see what he was looking for. He looks furious as he walk towards Sasuke and Ino. The couple began arguing as Ino says she is discussing something with Sasuke, that he needs her help.

"Come on, let's end their fight before it gets more serious." Naruto stood up and started heading towards their table in a hurry.

I followed behind, not wanting to get involved since I'm afraid something bad might happen between me and Sasuke. But he was there sitting quietly as if nothing is happening around him.

When I reached the table, Sasuke didn't even acknowledge my presence. Well, at least he's not singling me out. He's ignoring all of us.

"Look, can you two just stop arguing? It's Sai's birthday, Ino." Naruto spoke, trying to end the fight.

"So what? Just because it's his birthday doesn't mean he can act like a jerk."

"I'm the jerk? You're the one who planned a celebration ahead and ended up not showing on the planned day."

What is going on today? Everyone's acting strangely! "Fine. So I'm a jerk. Have lunch by yourself then. Let's go, Sasuke-kun."

As if Sasuke is a robot, he followed Ino's orders. They started walking towards the cafeteria door leaving all of us shocked. Okay, this is so weird.

I snapped out of my daze and decided to approach Sasuke and ask him if we could talk. So I ran towards them and called him. "Sasuke!" He didn't turn to look at me so I grabbed his hand, maybe I could get his attention this way. "We need to talk."

He still ignored me and even shook his hand away from my grip. Then Sasuke and Ino disappeared behind the cafeteria door.


	49. The Truth of Truths

**Hi! Okay, to clear things up, Sasuke was _NEVER_ in a relationship with Karin. If you remember in Chapter _49: Answers_ , Sasuke told Hinata the reason why he considers Karin his friend. And Sasuke did not ask Karin to hold his phone. Naruto said in the previous chapter that Sasuke asked him to hold it but Karin stole the phone from Naruto. That's all, thanks! I hope you're enlightened! Hehe.**

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 **Credits to Yves_Liong (writer from Wattpad) and Masashi Kishimoto (maker of Naruto).**

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 **Battling With A Hot Guy**

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 _ **53**_

He turned his back on me without a word. Okay, I deserve that. But the last time he did that, it wasn't so bad. In fact, when he did that to me before, afterwards he ended up asking me to be his girlfriend. Maybe he wasn't furious at me, he's probably just being the most unexpected and unpredictable guy I knew.

Oh, who am I kidding?! This is a different story. I didn't stab him in the back that time, he was aware I was ruining his reputation. But now he knows we played him like a fool. This is probably the stupidest thing I have ever done. Even worse than when I accidentally burned Neji-nii's hair and I threw perfume in it in panic. It was the day Neji-nii wreaked havoc like Godzilla.

Back to the topic, I still want to let Sasuke know what I truly feel even if he decided to shun me. At least he deserves to know I have genuine feelings for him after all that I have done. Now I just have to find a way to do that. Why did I end up like this anyway? This isn't me. Everything I did, from ruining Uchiha Sasuke's reputation and faking being his girlfriend just to extract his revenge... It wasn't me. Hyuuga Hinata isn't that kind of person.

Going back to where Naruto and Sai were, I noticed an expression from Sai's face that I have never seen before. He looked really hurt, upset and frustrated all at the same time. "Ino is weird but she's always been." Naruto joked, and Sai and I gave him a glare. He raised his hands and chuckled nervously. "Okay, okay. Geez, I was just joking."

I turned to Sai. "Has she been acting like that with you since this morning?" I asked.

Sai shook his head. "She's fine this morning, she's even more cheerful than usual, and I assumed she was acting like that because it's my birthday. Was it wrong for me to insist that we have lunch together in my birthday?"

Naruto scratched his head. "Well.. Maybe she really was discussing something reall important with Teme so she got mad when you interrupted."

"Discussing something with Sasuke is more important than her boyfriend's birthday?" We all suddenly became silent. He has a point, and we have no idea what they are talking about.

Sasuke is not one to easily fall for someone, so him following Ino's orders earlier makes him weird. And Ino-chan choosing Sasuke over Sai is definitely confusing. I know Ino has genuine feelings for Sai. So it's nearly impossible for the two of them to start liking each other. I want to tell Sai that they must be talking about a surprise for his birthday, but if that what this is all about, then I might ruin it if I tell him. That's the only logical explanation for Sasuke and Ino's behavior so I'm keeping my mouth shut.

Naruto, Sai and I all decided to go back to our classrooms since lunch time is almost over. Naruto had to separate from us because he's not in the same class. I decided to just sit with Sai since I feel uncomfortable sitting beside Sakura. I probably should avoid her now. I know at some point it is my fault but Sakura betrayed me twice, I have never did that to her. Okay, so maybe falling in love with her ex is a form of betrayal but I immediately told her of my feelings and she lied to my face that she was okay with her and said she would support my feelings because we are _bestfriends_. Ugh, this is all so confusing.

When the bell rings for dismissal I hurriedly went to my locker and put my books there then I started walking back home. It was no use if I try to find Sasuke right now and force him to listen to me. Maybe I'll just give him space before I try talking to him again, and I'll respect that space for him.

As soon as I got home, I changed clothes and was idle for a couple of minutes. Neji-nii is training in father's company while Hanabi is in her junior high camp. I reached out for Sasuke's cellphone from my bag and checked if Sasuke, miraculously, sent me a message or gave me a call. But there was none. Sighing, I was about to put it in my night stand when it suddenly started ringing. Thinking, and was almost sure that it's Sasuke, I quickly answered the call, afraid that he might hang up if I take longer to answer.

 _"Hinata-chan!"_ But I was wrong again. This time it's Ino.

"Oh, hey, Ino-chan." I answered, hiding my disappointment and hoping I sound normal. "Is there a problem?"

There's a lot of noise from her end of the line, I couldn't stop my jealousy, thinking that she may be out with Sasuke even if they're just discussing something important. _"Where are you? We're all in the gym right now, celebrating Sai's birthday! You should be here!"_

I felt a wide smile on my face, confirming what I thought earlier.

 _"Sasuke-kun didn't explain what happened earlier today? We were just acting so we could surprise Sai. I made plans for Sai's birthday weeks ago, but you know me, I don't want things to be too boring. So I made him believe we'll just have lunch today but I was really planning with Sasuke-kun. I was going for Naruto initially, but we all know he's a blabbermouth and Sai would know in seconds, I wasn't comfortable with Gaara, so I decided to go for Sasuke! Aren't I great?!"_

I chuckled at Ino-chan's cheerfulness. She really is great. A great girlfriend and a great friend. "You are really something, Ino-chan." We both giggled. "Wait a minute. So Sasuke isn't really mad at me?"

 _"Oh, you mean when he brushed you off? I'm so sorry, Hinata-chan, it was part of the plan. We wanted to stick together so the surprise wouldn't leak out. We asked Naruto to hold his phone so you won't be able to reach him. I'm really sorry, Hina-chan!"_

I know Ino-chan only wanted the best for Sai and I'm not mad at all. "It's okay, Ino-chan. But I can't really go there now. I'll make it up to you and Sai another time."

Being the good friend she is, Ino didn't force me to come anymore. She seemed to be distracted by someone who called her name so we said bye to each other. When we did, I immediately dialled my number. After three rings, it seemed he rejected my call. I tried again but this time, the phone is unattended. That means he turned the phone off.

That was when it hit me. Ino might have been acting, but Sasuke wasn't. He really is furious with me.

It was amazing how sleep could change a person's mind. Yesterday, I decided to give Sasuke space and wait for the right time to talk to him. But now I'm an hour early for school because I wanted to be here already when he arrives.

I was surprised to see Karin in her locker this early. She sneered at me as she closes her locker. "You're waiting for Sasuke-kun, aren't you?"

Maybe Karin knows where Sasuke is. "Look, I know you think I'm a bad person but I didn't mean to do what I did. Okay, maybe I meant it from the start but not... anymore." I looked at Karin and she wasn't sneering anymore. "Can you please tell me where he is?"

"So you really did something to him. I knew it. You know I only assumed because Sasuke doesn't really tell me anything but it shows in his actions. Even if I know where Sasuke-kun is, I wouldn't tell you."

"I'm not here to play games with you, Karin. It's enough that you won't let Sasuke answer my calls last night. You even turned off the phone at the party, didn't you? Just tell me where Sasuke is." I told her firmly.

She raised a brow at me? "What are you talking about? JUst because he doesn't want to talk to you, you're putting the blame on me?" She scoffed. "He didn't even attended Sai's party. As soon as he got his phone back, he hurriedly went home." Karin glared at me then she started walking away.

Suddenly, the optimism I had when I woke up started crumbling. No, don't just give up, Hinata. This is all your fault so you must endure. I tried to look for Sauke everywhere, in case he went to school early. I even went to the gym but he's not there either.

Feeling defeated, I started walking to my first class, I'm still 20 minutes earlier.

"Hinata-chan!" I turned around, knowing it was Naruto's cheerful voice. I forced a smile as he walk with me and we entered my first class. "You're early. Let me guess, special mission to talk to Teme?" He grinned as we sit beside each other in the two chairs in the corner of the room.

I nodded and sighed. "He's avoiding me, and finally thinking of giving up. I mean, if he really doesn't want to talk to me anymore..."

"Hinata-chan, I want to tell you something... Something I should have when Teme broke up with Sakura-chan."

I snapped my head up at him with a curious look. "What is it, Naruto-kun?"

"The reason Sasuke teme kept on telling you... That wasn't just it."

"What do you mean?"

"Hinata-chan... Sasuke teme loved you for a long time now. I know I shouldn't be the one saying this to you but seeing as Sasuke has no plans on telling you, I figured I should help him out, he's my bestfriend and a brother to me so I'm going to defend him if he's won't." Naruto heaved a sigh. "I always notice him looking at you whenever you're in the same room as him. I teased him about it once and he never denied it. I even told him to go for it but he said it's you're both too youn and he's not deserving for you yet. When Sakura-chan came into the picture, it was obvious how much she likes Teme. Somehow she found out Teme likes you, I don't know how. I noticed you and Sakura-chan became close. She even told Sasuke to give up on you because you will never like him back because you hated him even back when you were kids. I noticed how extra gloomy Sasuke was. He did try to overcome it though. When we heard you talking to Sakura-chan about how Teme should give her a chance, I told him it was an absurd idea. It's like you practically shove his feelings in his face. So with Sakura-chan's constant pleading, he decided to give it a try."

I couldn't believe everything Naruto just said.

"When they broke up, Sakura-chan told you that Teme said he's tired of playing, right? I swear on my parents' grave, he never said that, Hinata-chan. I was there when Sakura-chan confronted Teme. Teme told her how sorry he is for not being able to return her feelings and he doesn't want to hurt her any further. But she kept insisting Sasuke to love her back. He admitted he had fun in the first part of their relationship. He even thought Sakura-chan would really be good for him until Sakura-chan finally snapped. Maybe it was because she was tired of waiting for Sasuke to finally return her feelings. Teme tried to let her down as gently as he could. Sakura-chan was so angry and said Teme will never get a chance with you, Hinata-chan. It's like she turned from this angelic girl to a raging beast. It was really scary."

I couldn't help but chuckle as my eyes becomes teary.

"Sasuke Teme said he won't make a move on you. He made Sakura-chan promise not to tell you. He was even okay with her telling he played with her feelings. He knows you'll never love him back and that you would never put love before your friendship with Sakura-chan so he decided to just keep his feelings for himself. That was until you decided to get revenge, and well, Sakura-chan decided to let out Sasuke's secret for you. And the rest, well, you already know them."

As I was getting emotional, I tried remembering the time I was trying to ruin Sasuke's reputation. Not once did he fight back. Sakura and Karin were the ones who countered my plans but never did Sasuke tried to hurt me back. Right from the start he has genuine feelings for me and all I think about was how awful he is. It was really amazing how you think wrong of a person you know for the most part of your life.

All those times he was teasing me, all those chocolate almonds he gave Sakura-chan knowing I would be the one to eat them. Even that figurine he put effort to restore. He was doing those subtle things and covering them up with being a jerk all because he thinks I will never love him back.

"Naruto-kun... I really need to talk to him." I looked up at Naruto with tears in my eyes.


	50. Kiss

**Credits to Yves_Liong (writer from Wattpad) and Masashi Kishimoto (creator of Naruto).**

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 **Battling With A Hot Guy**

 _ **54**_

"No way!"

I instantly blurted out when Sai, Gaara and Naruto-kun suggested a plan on how to talk to Uchiha Sasuke. Sai told me that there will be a Victory party for the varsities tonight. And Sai said that the party will be partly dedicated for Sasuke since he got the MVP award. The championship happened a while ago but the school decided to hold the celebration tonight. Naruto-kun pointed out that since Sasuke is avoiding me, I should catch him off guard. And Gaara suggested that I speak through a microphone so Sasuke wouldn't have a choice but to listen to me.

But none of them remembers that I am Hyuuga Hinata. Sure I tried several times to ruin Uchiha Sasuke's reputation. And yeah, I was able to make a fool out of the Uchiha but I'm still the same old shy Hyuuga Hinata. I was never gutsy enough to stand on stage in front of a lot of people. Now they wanted me to let out my feelings in front of the whole school?

"Why not? As long as he hears it, right?" Naruto-kun said as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

"Forget it, guys."

"Oh, c'mon, Hinata-chan. How small is it compared to those fake rumors you made up about Sasuke?" I turned to Sai and sighed. He's right.

"I loved them, Hinata-chan. Those rumors are the best!" Naruto-kun chuckled.

"Dumbass, you were also accused of being gay with the Uchiha." Gaara frowns at Naruto-kun. I would have laughed at the look Naruto was sporting after what Gaara said but there is still the problem at hand.

"I can't do it." I said in finality.

Funnily though, at exactly six in the evening, while everyone was having fun at the gym, the music that was blasting off from the huge speakers was cut off and I was standing on the stage, holding a microphone in my hands as I try to keep my knees from trembling.

 _What am I doing?! Relax, Hinata. You can do this. If this doesn't work then nothing will so speak up!_

I took a deep breath before starting. As everyone's attention turned to me, I opened my mouth to speak. It was funny but suddenly, I know exactly what to say without even rehearsing. "H-Hello, everyone. I-I'm sorry for putting a p-pause to the the party. Uhm... Ehem. I just really need to say something. I know that I can just go and talk to Uchiha Sasuke face-to-face but he's been avoiding me so I have no choice but.. Uh, well.." I apologized to the people first. I looked around trying to spot Sasuke. "Look, Sasuke. I know you're avoiding me, and I don't blame you at all. But you have to know something. It's true, I fooled you. I planned to be your girlfriend to take revenge for what you did to Sakura-chan. But when I finally spent time with you, my reason for being your girlfriend changed. Sasuke... I like—"

Before I could finish, the door of the gym suddenly opened. And there he was, Uchiha Sasuke, with a poker face.

And then it all came crashing down on me. Ever since I was a child, I have always hated being the center of attraction. I remembered once Neji-nii and I were supposed to receive a medal for doing so well in academics but since I have to go up to the stage and stand in front of so many people, I decided not to go. I was crying so much because I was so sure Hyuuga Hiashi, my father, was disappointed in me. But he wasn't. He told me Neji-nii received the medal for me. Father even celebrated our achievement and treated us to a dinner in a restaurant. Every year after that, Neji-nii would continue receiving my medals for me.

The feeling of having every eyes watching, criticizing me, makes me feel uncomfortable. Yet here I am, standing in front of everyone in school, pouring my heart out to someone, only to find out that what I did was worthless.

Seeing how I had just made a complete fool of myself, I decided that I needed to save myself from further embarrassment. Not finishing what I was about to say, I left the microphone at the podium and went down the stage. Then I ran out of there as quickly as possible, passing a lot of people who were either about to laugh at me or pitying me. I even heard Sai, Gaara and Naruto's calling out for me, but I ignored them all. Until I passed by Sasuke who now looked confused, not hearing a single thing about what I said through the microphone. He still probably wouldn't talk to me anyway. But as I was heading towards the girls' comfort room, I suddenly heard footsteps following me, and I was hoping it was Uchiha Sasuke. When I turned to see who it is, I didn't know how I would react when I saw it was Haruno Sakura.

"What do you want?" I asked in hostility. My anger towards her magnified due to my humiliation at what I just did.

"Look, Hinata-chan. I know you're still mad at me. And I know I shouldn't be talking to you just yet but I can't help it." She said as her expression shows sincerity. "I think you should go back and still try to talk to Sasuke-kun."

"Funny you should say that after you ruined things not only between Sasuke and I, but also you and me." I snapped at her.

"I know I hurt you badly after what I did. But I'm still not sorry about it. Can't you see? I realized that doing that was the thing I needed to free myself from my obsession with Sasuke-kun. At first I was thinking, was the price really worth more than it should? But I had to do it because I'm becoming someone I shouldn't be."

"Was it worth losing your bestfriend just to get over a bad relationship that you forced right from the start?" Her eyes widened at what I said. "Naruto-kun told me everything you did. Was it fun befriending me, urging me to hate Sasuke so you could have him for yourself? Was a boy worth everything for you? How fun was it to watch me trying to ruin the guy who have always had genuine feelings for me even before you came in the picture?"

"I... I regret losing your friendship, Hinata-chan. Yes, I befriended you at first because I found out Sasuke-kun likes you even before I met the two of you. But I really treated you like a bestfriend, a sister. I'm so sorry. But don't you see it, Hinata-chan? If I didn't do what I did, you wouldn't realize that you love him. You'd still be in denial. You wouldn't have the courage to stand on stage and admit your feelings for him."

I see where she is getting at, and she is right. Why else would I go through all these trouble if I don't love him? It hurt that I hurt him and that he's avoiding him. I even miss our arguments, even those stupid rules. I miss Uchiha Sasuke.

"You've gone this far, Hinata-chan. What else would you lose if you try once more?"

Again, she's right. "This doesn't mean we'll be okay. But thanks."

She smiled. "I know. But I really want to make it up to you. You've been a real friend to me."

We separated after that since I still have to go to the comfort room. I have to rebuilt my confidence. I entered the comfort room and splashed my face with water. I still have to go back out there and confess for real this time. I turned the faucet off and the CR door opened revealing Uzumaki Karin.

I just minded my own business as I dry my hands with the tissue paper while Karin turn the faucet on until she broke the silence. "Nice speech." I turned to Karin with a dumbfounded expression. "I really mean what I just said, you know. I guess I was wrong when I said you weren't serious about Sasuke-kun. Even I wouldn't do something like that just for him even if I love him."

Did Uzumaki Karin really complimented me? "Uhm... Thank you?"

She turned the faucet off and faced me. "But don't think I wouldn't be here if you try to hurt him again. I'll always be here to protect him. You got that?" I nodded simultaneously as she sent a genuine smile at me. "Now go get Sasuke-kun and make him happy." Then she left.

Suddenly, my mind and heart felt lighter. After all that happened, even if Karin didn't really become my friend, I appreciate how honest she has been to me up until now. And that's what all it took to bring my confidence back. Sasuke's two major fangirls supported and encouraged me to get him back.

I walked back towards the gym and Gaara immediately approached me. "He's talking to Naruto right now but that's only a stalling technique, thanks to Yamanaka. Go ahead, and good luck." I smiled up at Gaara and then I walked towards Sasuke and Naruto.

It was strange but I felt more nervous right now compared to standing on stage. My knees felt weak and I could almost hear my heart beating crazily. To get his attention, I was going to tap his shoulder but before I could, he suddenly turned from Naruto and walked away. Panicking because he's starting to avoid me again, I suddenly shouted at the top of my lungs to stop him. "Uchiha Sasuke!"

I did expect some people to turn towards me but what I didn't expect was for the music to stop playing again and everyone turning towards me. Sasuke turned to me and gave me a serious look and that made me speechless.

When I finally snapped, I smiled apologetically for disturbing the party again. "Sorry. I just need to talk to Sasuke." I remarked rushing towards Sasuke and grabbing his hand. "Don't worry, this time, I'll do it outside."

I led Sasuke outside the gym, muttering something under my breath until we stopped and I faced him. He has this clueless expression, probably for my mumbling. "What are you saying?"

"I know you have the right to avoid me since you found out the truth but at least give me a chance to explain. I know I really messed up when I planned to be your girlfriend just to get revenge when there really isn't anything to revenge on. However, you never told me the truth about what Sakura did. Instead, you kept leading me into believing that you really did play with her feelings. And as her bestfriend, I tried to give her justice—"

"That's just it. She is your bestfriend. I can't just say something bad about her so I could look cool in front of you. I don't care how bad you see me as. You're happy with her friendship and that's what matters to me."

My tears automatically spilled out of my eyes down to my cheeks. He sacrificed his name just to make me happy. "Sasuke... I'm sorry. I'm really sorry for everything I did to you. I was insensitive. I was horrible to you. I know. I know about all those chocolate almonds now, Sakura-chan really hated them but you were really aiming for me to eat them right? I also know about that cheesecake, and the rose, and that figurine. And I know about those secret looks too, the teasing, everything. I'm sorry."

I was imagining two scenarios in my mind that could possibly happen after what I said. One would be him suddenly hugging me, and telling me it's about time I tell him about my true feelings. The other one was him looking like he got over me already.

But guess what? As always, he never fails to surprise me. "Why are you apologizing a lot? Are you telling me all this because you and your family are moving away?" He asked, as if nothing bad has been going on between us.

My mouth hung open as lack of words to say. "You know what? I think it's just better to tell me straight that you want to break up completely instead of acting that way. But I guess, I deserve it, right?"

I was about to turn and walk away but he was always faster than me. He grabbed my wrist and made me turn to him again. "What? I heard from Itachi that your father is starting up a new business in Osaka. I really thought you're leaving and this is your way of saying good bye."

We stared at each other for some time and then we both started chuckling. But what he said is true. Only, it was Neji-nii who is moving to Osaka, not all of us.

"You're really dense, Hyuuga Hinata." I frowned up at him. "How come you never had any idea I liked you? At Valentine's, I even purposely showed you the rose and the box of almonds, and you still thought it was from Sabaku." He scoffed.

I grinned teasingly at him. "You're jealous, aren't you?"

"No. You have weird taste in guys. And that dobe, really? Do you like colorful hair for a guy? Blonde, and then red-head? Seriously?" Now he's mocking my crushes. What can I do? Naruto is such a breath of fresh air. And Gaara, well... He is handsome and talented. "Stop thinking about them." Sasuke complained.

I raised my hands on his cheeks. "You really are jealous. Wait. Why weren't you answering my calls?"

"Itachi took your phone. I think he was just snooping, maybe he's trying to confirm if you really are _the_ Hyuuga Hinata I was bragging to him about being my girlfriend. But don't worry, I'll buy you a new one."

"You bragged about me to Uchiha Itachi? _The Uchiha Itachi_?"

He groaned in annoyance. "Yes. Can you not speak of his name in that tone?" He's so cute when he's jealous.

"So you're not mad at me for what Sakura-chan told you?"

He smirked at me. "Is that why you were singing on stage a while ago?"

I felt myself blush. "I wasn't singing! I just thought you were mad so I tried to explain. You suddenly broke up with me and started avoiding me like a plague."

"Wait. Who said we broke up?" He raised a brow at me.

"What do you mean? You were avoiding me, you stopped talking to me and all."

"Remember when I made you put your hand in your heart and asked you if you like me?" I nodded and blushed, remembering that day. "I believed you. I already know you were only getting revenge that's why you agreed to be my girlfriend. And I let you do it because I want you to let out your anger on me. It was my chance to get closer to you so I took it knowing you're just trying to hurt me. But I believed you when you said you like me, and I trusted your feelings so I wasn't mad when Sakura told me the truth. I expected it. I was upset of course, but it's also a way of apologizing to Sakura for not returning her feelings. I avoided you because I thought maybe it was for the best, and you deserve the best."

"I deserve you." I said as tears started prickling my eyes again. "And that's one of the longest I have heard you say. Thank you, Sasuke. Thank you for those feelings you kept for a very long time. And I'm sorry it took so long for me to return it."

"I don't mind. I love you, Hyuuga Hinata."

I couldn't stop my heart from beating so fast, I'm probably sure even Sasuke could hear it pounding. "I love you too. Oh, and you broke your own rule. You didn't talk to me so you should get a punishment."

"Oh, yeah? And what was that?"

"This." I moved even closer to him, letting my left hand slide down to her chest, I tiptoed so that our lips are only merely an inch apart. "Since you broke your rule, I'll break mine too."

I kissed him.

 _I. KISSED. UCHIHA. FREAKING. SASUKE! IN. THE. FREAKING. LIPS!_

I felt him wrap his arms around my waist and dipped his head down to kiss me deeply. My knees felt weak so now Sasuke is carrying all my weight but I think he doesn't mind.

When we broke the kiss, I couldn't help but lick my lower lip. "Don't do that, Hyuuga."

I curiously looked at him. "What? Why?"

"It's tempting, okay?"

"What? What do you mean?" I absent-mindedly licked my bottom lip again, and Sasuke suddenly kissed me.

This time he bit my lower lip lightly, I could even feel him grin in the kiss. When he let my lips go, he whispered in a raspy tone. "Don't think for a second that you will ever get away from me from now on. You can't break up with me. Ever. You're mine now, Hyuuga."


	51. Epilogue

**Wow. I've never thought I'd really finish this. Just... Wow... I'm crying now! Thank you, guys, for cheering me up, for reading and supporting Battling With A Hot Guy. I know the plotline is not that deep, and I know I have lots of errors and there are lots of plotholes but still... I loved writing Battling With A Hot Guy. It was my way of destressing. Most of all, thank you for the reviews! You are all awesome!  
**

 **dango-lover17 , I'mawarrior11, wow, you never really stopped reading after all those confusing and maddening chapters!**

 **cherryblossom52536 , krengkreng, flornoir, eyyyyytttt, nanitaa, , Gangnam Style X3, Unfilteredqueen, Rj/FAN OF U(guest), Rhe Muliya Young, DianaPana, in your dreams as well, Shikara Gizzel, angie maria nani, Iloveyou(guest), Defender(guest), wolf-enzeru, Ilidilyntra, FierceDeityLinkMask, chibi beary(guest), surya(guest), MissSteak, Caro666Mocha, rachelm12, roti bakar(guest), farahb, Fido123a, Sasuhinafan(guest), Completely Confunded, fanofthisfiction, Binx(guest), Hyuuga Hitomichan, Kitty Uzumaki, and for those other guest reviewers who has no name, THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH! You're all awesome! Best reviewers everrr! Oh, and I also want to thank those flamers who reviewed. Hehe. Peace and love, people!  
**

 **Anyway, I present to you... The Epilogue.**

 **I LOVE YOU ALL! SERIOUSLY!**

 **-Itachi's Queen**

* * *

 **Credits to Yves_Liong (writer from Wattpad) and Masashi Kishimoto (creator of Naruto).**

* * *

 **Battling With A Hot Guy**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 _ **EPILOGUE**_

* * *

 **Best Couples of 2018**

 **by: Uzumaki Karin**

 _Every year, the whole population of the school gets together to vote for the best couples of said year. And this year is no different. After every single person in school has voted in this event last month, the results are finally in. This year, a lot of new couples have emerged, and some of the old ones have broken up. Nevertheless, there are couples that stood out from the rest._

 _For two years in a row, Nagato Pein and Yamato Konan has been holding up the top spot but this year, the title has been taken from them by a new couple. Now 2018's best and most popular couple is none other than **Uchiha Sasuke** and **Hyuuga Hinata** or as Sasuke-kun's fansclub call it, **SasuHina**. Who would have thought that the two of them would end up being a couple? Uchiha and Hyuuga are both famous clans and are rivals in terms of wealth, influence and power. SasuHina has completely taken the school by storm. After Uchiha Sasuke broke Hyuuga Hinata's best friend's heart, Hinata actually declared war against Sasuke-kun, and then became Sasuke's girlfriend only for revenge. But in the end, Sasuke-kun won, because Hinata wasn't able to resist Sasuke-kun's charm and eventually ended up falling for him._

 _Following the top spot are **Nagato Pein** and **Yamato Konan** , despite Pein sempai's sweet Valentine consisted of a serenade with the school's choir, a cute teddy bear and flowers, their standing in the survey dropped. It seems the perfectly compatible couple lost some of their fans due to their stable relationship, but that's why we love them, right? Oh, and maybe let's blame the SasuHina for being too adorable._

 _Not far behind is another contender of the best couples, ranking 2nd last year and now falling in 3rd, **Akasuna Sasori** and **Iwa Dei**. This couple which started from a play in 2016's Beauty and the Beast, and the singing competition is still growing strong, with their voices in perfect harmony as always. Who wouldn't fall in love with the sweet music that only the two of them can create?_

 _Another new couple comes next. **Sato Sai** and **Yamanaka Ino** , known as the sporty couple landed the 4th spot. They managed to win people's hearts not only because of the cute aura they give when they're together but also because of the way their skills in different areas of sports show how they are truly meant for each other. Being the captain ball of the basketball team, Sai can never find a better match than the captain ball of the volleyball and bandminton team, Ino._

 _Last but definitely not the least, **Nara Shikamaru** and **Sabaku Temari** takes the fifth spot. Last year, their relationship has been threatened by a family problem which almost broke their trust to each other. Thankfully, yours truly has been able to help Temari's family. Shikamaru is known to be a lazy genius of the school, and who better compliment him than the commander of the Karate club, Temari, right? Their relationship is finally stable now and that is why they are now on the list of our favorite couples._

 _But whoever said these people are the only lucky ones? There's still a chance for us singles to find a guy of our own. A lot of great guys are still waiting out there for us, like one of our varsity's biggest assets, **Sabaku Gaara** , and one of our school's football players, **Aburame Shino** and **Inuzuka Kiba**. And let's not forget my beloved cousin, our dear ray of sunshine, **Uzumaki Naruto**. So worry not, for you never know if you'll be in the next year's list of Best Couples._

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 **And there you go! Battling With A Hot Guy is officially signing out!  
**

 **Yes, I'm lame. Yes, this may be shallow. Yes, this is not the ending you are expecting. Yes, this might not be the ending you deserve. But, oh well!**

 **But still lots of thanks for reading and reviewing! I love you, guys! Maybe you want to read my next story, When Starks Collide. It's a Game of Thrones fanfic. Hehe.**

 **See ya!**

 **-Itachi's Queen**


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